Globalization doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that takes time and involves numerous stages. The first is employing people of different nationalities and varied cultural backgrounds, so you have an understanding of each of your different markets.
Square Enix approached this by acquiring Eidos Interactive, the owners of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games, situated in Europe. This has helped balance out the company’s staff composition, which was previously far more Japanese-centric. Square’s present staff breakdown can be seen in this chart below:
See that tiny grey portion that represents staff in China? That’s likely what Square are going to be addressing next. While Square Enix China currently offer online PC games that are developed in Japan, Square as a whole see expanding into the Chinese market as a top priority.
In the fiscal year gone by, Square Enix also addressed their headcount to “energize the organization.” Square took on 350 new employees, consisting of recent graduates and mid-career hires.
Unfortunately, hiring staff wasn’t the only step involved in their expansion plans. They also laid off around 800 employees, which resulted in a net decline of 457 employees. We sincerely hope these individuals manage to recover from the lay-offs in the near future, if they haven’t already.
