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Square Enix has stopped working on 'Go' mobile games
In many ways, Square Enix' Go titles were textbook examples of how to make good mobile games: for a little cash up front, you'd receive a truly mobile-friendly experience that felt like it received just as much attention as a blockbuster console release. However, that strategy has apparently run out of steam. Square Enix Montreal head Patrick Naud told PCGamesInsider.biz in an interview that his studio has stopped working on the Go series. The premium mobile game market is "diminishing," Naud said -- there are too many genuinely high-quality free games for many people to pour money into games unless they're riveted by the concept. While Hitman Go, Lara Croft Go and Deus Ex Go had strong reviews and "great revenue," only a small number of people played them.
'Hitman Go' lands on PS4, Vita and PC next week
Hitman Go is an incredible mobile title that launched in 2014 and spawned a new line of subtle strategy games from developer Square Enix Montreal, including Lara Croft Go. Now, the Hitman Go: Definitive Edition is heading to PlayStation 4, Vita and PC via Steam on February 23rd in the US (February 24th in Europe). The Definitive Edition includes the full game and all of its add-on content, featuring updated visuals, for $8 (€8 / £6.50).
Square Enix Montreal gets what makes mobile games great
Apple recently named Lara Croft Go its game of the year, and deservedly so. But the back-to-basics 2D puzzler wasn't developer Square Enix Montreal's first stab at mobile gaming. The studio was initially formed to work on a now-cancelled Hitman project for consoles and then transitioned to making premium smartphone and tablet games.Since releasing Hitman Go in 2014 the team has been quietly kicking a lot of ass in the space, launching the excellent Hitman Sniper and Lara Croft Go within roughly two months of each other. It's this type of repeat success that's afforded lead programmer Antoine Routon and his mobile-exclusive team at Square Enix Montreal the freedom to tinker with publisher Square Enix's biggest properties in fresh ways."We have a lot of creative freedom we acquired by delivering good games," he says. "What's the opposite of street cred? Exec cred?" he asks, laughing.
Lara Croft's awesome mobile adventure adds a free tomb to raid
Lara Croft has a pretty big adventure on Xbox One this fall with Rise of the Tomb Raider, but her grand mobile mission is about grow too. Developer Square Enix Montreal announced it's dropping "The Shard of Life" expansion for Lara Croft GO tomorrow for free on Android and iOS (sorry, Windows Phone folks) with some 26 fresh puzzles to tackle while you're waiting in line at the grocery store. More than that, the publisher is knocking 40 percent off the game's price -- it'll run you $2.99 for a limited time. Oh and its hosting a Twitch event tasking the game's community to solve the new puzzles.
