RPG veteran Squaresoft has spent a lot of time in the gaming public’s eye this year. The company has come under lot of pressure from its shareholders, which now include Sony, thanks to dwindling finances following the big screen flop that was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
But on the game front, it’s been quite a productive 12 months, albeit one littered Final Fantasy rehashes. Europe in particular has had the pleasure of several of Square’s past Fantasy ventures in the form of Final Fantasy VI, which sold extremely well, and Final Fantasy Anthology, comprising of versions IV and V. None have been released in Europe previously. On top of that, Square has brought Europe a little more up to date with Final Fantasy X and Disney’s Kingdom Hearts. The company also revisited its roots in Japan when it re-launched enhanced PlayStation versions of Final Fantasies 1 and 2, which incidentally, have just been pencilled in for a UK release in March 2003.
But the real coup came just a few weeks ago in late November, when Squaresoft and closest rival Enix announced they were to merge under the imaginative name, Square Enix. This will eliminate any competition between Square’s long running series and Enix’s Dragon Quest ventures, but is that a good thing? The games industry, like many others, thrives on competition – it keeps developers on their toes. Will the joining of two of Japan’s greatest rivals result in lower quality software? The truth is, it’s unlikely, but only time will tell. There’s still Zelda, after all.
So what does 2003 hold? Well you can expect to see more Final Fantasies in the form of Final Fantasy XI and the Final Fantasy 1 and 2 compilation mentioned earlier, sporting a swanky new Square Enix logo. But for the UK, they are the only certainties. We hope to see more on Final Fantasy XII, and there’s a strong possibility Dragon Quest may finally see the light of day on UK shores, as well as a new Parasite Eve remake.
So in answer to our earlier question, the future holds a lot of promise in the form of Dragon Quest and a few not-so-Final Fantasies. Roll on 2003.
But on the game front, it’s been quite a productive 12 months, albeit one littered Final Fantasy rehashes. Europe in particular has had the pleasure of several of Square’s past Fantasy ventures in the form of Final Fantasy VI, which sold extremely well, and Final Fantasy Anthology, comprising of versions IV and V. None have been released in Europe previously. On top of that, Square has brought Europe a little more up to date with Final Fantasy X and Disney’s Kingdom Hearts. The company also revisited its roots in Japan when it re-launched enhanced PlayStation versions of Final Fantasies 1 and 2, which incidentally, have just been pencilled in for a UK release in March 2003.
But the real coup came just a few weeks ago in late November, when Squaresoft and closest rival Enix announced they were to merge under the imaginative name, Square Enix. This will eliminate any competition between Square’s long running series and Enix’s Dragon Quest ventures, but is that a good thing? The games industry, like many others, thrives on competition – it keeps developers on their toes. Will the joining of two of Japan’s greatest rivals result in lower quality software? The truth is, it’s unlikely, but only time will tell. There’s still Zelda, after all.
So what does 2003 hold? Well you can expect to see more Final Fantasies in the form of Final Fantasy XI and the Final Fantasy 1 and 2 compilation mentioned earlier, sporting a swanky new Square Enix logo. But for the UK, they are the only certainties. We hope to see more on Final Fantasy XII, and there’s a strong possibility Dragon Quest may finally see the light of day on UK shores, as well as a new Parasite Eve remake.
So in answer to our earlier question, the future holds a lot of promise in the form of Dragon Quest and a few not-so-Final Fantasies. Roll on 2003.
Companies:
Square Enix
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