Square Enix Sold Fewer Copies Of JUST CAUSE 4 On Launch Than They Had Originally Expected

Square Enix President and Representative Director Yosuke Matsuda revealed during today's earnings report that Avalanche Studios' Just Cause 4 has underperformed, failing to live up to the company's initial expatiations. According to Matsuda, Enix sold fewer units on launch than they had anticipated and were therefore unable to offset charges such as the amortization of development costs.

"We think the main reason is that we were unable to provide an experience that was novel enough that players would choose to buy them before any of the other numerous major titles on the competitive landscape," Matsuda explained during the earnings call. "Also, while it is true that we are seeing a shift away from sales of boxes to digital downloads, with this many titles competing with one another, initial sales are definitely an important element in increasing user awareness. For that reason, we do need to engage in a certain amount of advertising just ahead of a new title’s launch."

While Just Cause 4's results have been far from ideal, Square is planning to increase the game's sales this year by offering updates and "other initiatives." Additional sales of Shadow Of The Tomb Raider during the holiday season and the launch of Dragon Quest Builders 2 were not enough to compensate for the shortfall of Just Cause 4, leading to an operating loss of ¥1.7 billion (roughly $251 million).

Considering that Just Cause 4 launched as a hardly finished project (featuring some mind-boggling technical issues that made some players sick), Avalanche will surely take a closer look at their current release strategy that requires co-developing three major video games simultaneously, including Just Cause 4, RAGE 2 (with the help of id Software and Bethesda), and the THQ-published Generation Zero.

Welcome to Solis, a huge South American world home of conflict, oppression and extreme weather conditions. Just Cause 4 sees rogue hero Rico Rodriguez land in Solis to hunt down the truth about his past, at any costs. Strap into your wingsuit, equip your fully customizable grappling hook, and get ready to bring the thunder!