Squaresoft on XBox: Pure Fantasy

The classic 30 million-selling role-playing series began its journey in the late eighties on Nintendo’s 8-bit NES. The success of the original prompted Nintendo to get into bed with Squaresoft. The series then stayed with Nintendo throughout the 8 and 16-bit era, and a further five best-selling sequels were developed. Nintendo’s near-fatal decision to remain with cartridges for their next generation console, Nintendo 64, caused Square to defect to the high capacity, CD-based format of Sony’s PlayStation. The three and four-disc versions of Final Fantasies 7 and 8 respectively, sold millions across the three priority markets of Japan, America and Europe. Final Fantasy 9 is the final outing for Square on the five-year-old PlayStation, with instalments 10 and 11 promised for 128-bit successor, PlayStation 2.

Nintendo and Microsoft are now battling for Squaresoft to develop further versions of the series on their platforms, both of which will be using high capacity storage formats. Microsoft are indeed in talks with Square, but no conclusion has arisen between the two software giants. Stephanie Journau, a PR manager to Square Europe told us, "Nothing has been decided at all in terms of a deal between Square and Microsoft."

While Microsoft has a meaty piece of hardware on paper, the finished product and development kit will have to meet Square’s expectations if they are to put pen to paper. Money can’t buy everything; perhaps a lesson that Microsoft has yet to learn.