Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda to be replaced amid rapidly changing business environment

Yosuke Matsuda is getting ready to step down as the president of Square Enix. This marks the end of his 10-year run at the helm of the Japanese game publisher.

Square Enix announced the changes in a statement to investors, saying that Matsuda will step down as president later this year. This proposal must first be approved at the annual shareholders meeting in June.

The company didn’t specify the exact reason behind this decision, but noted that it was dictated by the “rapid change of business environment surrounding the entertainment industry.” This is in line with Square Enix’s strategy to “reshape the management team with the goal of adopting everevolving technological innovations and maximizing on the creativity of the Company’s group in order to deliver even greater entertainment to its customers around the world.”

Matsuda will be replaced by another executive Takashi Kiryu, who joined the Japanese publisher in 2020 and worked across several positions such as chief strategy officer and director of the entire holding.

Yosuke Matsuda started at Square Enix in October 2001 and took over from previous president Yoichi Wada in 2013. Under his leadership, the company shipped dozens of games and went through some turbulent times. In 2021, he was also among the highest-paid gaming executives with annual earnings of $4.1 million.

One of the latest moves from Matsuda as president of Square Enix was the sale of the company’s Western studios. In May 2022, Embracer Group acquired Eidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamics, and now-closed Square Enix Montreal for around €300 million.

Nier Automata fans may also recognize Yosuke Matsuda as the secret CEO boss.