Square Enix shuts down rumours that it's up for sale

Final Fantasy 16 concept art Clive — (Image credit: Square Enix)

Square Enix has denied reports that it's up for sale. It has not received any acquisition offers, the Japanese publisher said today.

This week, Bloomberg Japan reported that several interested parties were interested in snapping up the JRPG maker, citing "two bank officials familiar with the situation". News of an acquisition seemed solid enough that Square Enix' stock rose 13.8% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange earlier today.

"We do not consider selling off the company or any part of its businesses, nor have we received any offer from any third party to acquire the company or any part of its businesses," Square Enix said in a statement (via Bloomberg).

Square Enix being acquired would be a big shock. But it wouldn't be entirely out of the question. After all, Bethesda (a similarly-sized RPG giant) was recently snapped up by Microsoft for a toasty $7.5 billion, and the Xbox firm was among the shortlist of companies rumoured to be looking to buy Square Enix.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.