A major change is coming to the leadership at Square Enix, its president Yosuke Matsuda will be replaced. In a recent notice, it was announced that Square Enix and Square Enix Holdings current president would be replaced with company director Takashi Kiryu. This proposed change will be pending approval at the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on June 2023. A Board of Directors meeting will finalize the details once it has been approved afterward. Square stated its reasoning for the change.
“Under the rapid change of business environment surrounding the entertainment industry,” said Square Enix. “The proposed change is intended to reshape the management team with the goal of adopting ever-evolving 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.”
Yosuke Matsuda took over as president of Square Enix in April 2013 and Square Enix Holdings in June 2013, following former president Yoichi Wada. Matsuda gained a large amount of criticism in his ten years leading the company. Recently, the criticism mounted when Matsuda shifted the company’s investments into blockchain technology.
Takashi Kiryu joined Square Enix in June 2020 as general manager for Square Enix’s corporate planning division. In 2021 he became the company’s chief strategy officer and executive officer for corporate strategy and corporate communications. Finally, 2022 saw Kiryu as the chairman of the board of Square Enix in China, and finally director of Square Enix and Square Enix Holdings later that year.