Forspoken Studio Being Absorbed Back Into Square Enix

Yesterday, Luminous Productions, the developers behind the rocky fantasy parkour game Forspoken, announced that it will no longer exist as a separate game studio. On May 1, Luminous will be merged back into its parent company, Square Enix.

Read More: Forspoken: The Kotaku Review

Luminous Productions confirmed the news of its upcoming absorption into Square Enix in a post on its official Twitter account. Luminous Productions began as an internal division at Square Enix, where it was previously responsible for Final Fantasy XV. The announcement that it will be folded back into Square Enix comes just a month after Forspoken’s release on PlayStation 5 and PC.

An Update from Luminous Productions pic.twitter.com/fbDENflRhj

— Luminous Productions (@LumiPro_EN) February 28, 2023

“When we established Luminous Productions in 2018, our vision was to make AAA games that fused technology and artistry to deliver completely new play experiences. Having the chance to do just that has been a dream come true,” Luminous Productions wrote in a tweet. “We appreciate you taking this journey with us and look forward to continuing to create new entertainment and experiences as a part of the Square Enix family.”

Merger notwithstanding, Luminous Productions reassured fans by saying it still plans on finalising its previously announced Forspsoken game performance patch update as well as releasing Forspoken’s prequel DLC “In Tanta We Trust,” currently slated for this summer.

Kotaku reached out to Square Enix for comment.

Read More: Forspoken Actress Says She’s Isn’t Bothered By The Online Discourse, And More Power To Her

Despite many seeing Forspoken as an undercooked and janky video game with cringe-inducing dialogue, its lead actress remains proud of her performance, and says that being in a video game was a childhood dream come true.

“I always reference my eight-year-old self whenever I talk about something I’m really proud of doing, I’m just speechless right now,” Balinska told The Verge. “I just never would have thought me playing games downstairs with my mum’s hairdresser’s son while she was getting her hair done. Now, to think that he can pick up this game and play as me, it’s just unbelievable. And I hope it inspires other people to realise that if you commit to the bit hard enough, something really crazy can happen.”