The Los Angeles Times has reported that SquareSoft is still sniffing around Nintendo and its GameCube console in particular.
SquareSoft fallen angel and Final Fantasy innovator Hironobu Sakaguchi mentioned that the online plans in conception at the company relied on a decent level of support from all major hardware manufacturers. When asked about development for next generation consoles, Sakaguchi stated, “That certainly is a possibility. In fact, executives at Square are very enthusiastic about Nintendo.”
Square doesn’t seem to give up easily.
“Square is moving into online games," Sakaguchi continued. “Final Fantasy XI, which will be released next year, will be a fully online game. To make that work, you have to transcend hardware. If we want to do financially well online, we need to exist across all consoles.”
This follows on from a very public refusal from eccentric Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi who stated “There is no contract with Square, and that matter is not open to further discussion. Square can say whatever they want, but we have no intention of signing a contract, and there's little chance of one being signed in the future.”
It is widely recognised that, although Yamauchi is Nintendo’s president, he sometimes speaks out rashly, and seemingly without a thorough understanding of the wishes of the company as a whole or the loyal fanbase Nintendo has.
Square President Takashi Suzuki followed this up with a humble response back in February of this year. "We're not expecting to be accepted by Nintendo right away, but we're doing everything to get the relationship positive again… We have to try to convince Nintendo, by showing them our plans for Game Boy Advance and GameCube, that we will boost their hardware sales."
All this bad blood stems from Square’s refusal to continue production of Final Fantasy VII for the Nintendo 64 back in 1994 due to the machine using cartridge media. As you know, the game was shifted across to PlayStation and was a massive global success. This really (and completely unfairly) angered Nintendo chiefs, and the two companies ended what had been a longstanding and profitable relationship.
It now seems stupid that Nintendo is willing to hold a grudge against Square for making what can only be described as an essential business decision all those years ago.
We will have to wait and see what happens next in this saga. We think that hardware performance will be key to any future deals. If Nintendo struggles with the GameCube it may well want to get back into bed with Square. If it does well, Yamauchi can sleep soundly in the belief that he made the right decision.
SquareSoft fallen angel and Final Fantasy innovator Hironobu Sakaguchi mentioned that the online plans in conception at the company relied on a decent level of support from all major hardware manufacturers. When asked about development for next generation consoles, Sakaguchi stated, “That certainly is a possibility. In fact, executives at Square are very enthusiastic about Nintendo.”
Square doesn’t seem to give up easily.
“Square is moving into online games," Sakaguchi continued. “Final Fantasy XI, which will be released next year, will be a fully online game. To make that work, you have to transcend hardware. If we want to do financially well online, we need to exist across all consoles.”
This follows on from a very public refusal from eccentric Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi who stated “There is no contract with Square, and that matter is not open to further discussion. Square can say whatever they want, but we have no intention of signing a contract, and there's little chance of one being signed in the future.”
It is widely recognised that, although Yamauchi is Nintendo’s president, he sometimes speaks out rashly, and seemingly without a thorough understanding of the wishes of the company as a whole or the loyal fanbase Nintendo has.
Square President Takashi Suzuki followed this up with a humble response back in February of this year. "We're not expecting to be accepted by Nintendo right away, but we're doing everything to get the relationship positive again… We have to try to convince Nintendo, by showing them our plans for Game Boy Advance and GameCube, that we will boost their hardware sales."
All this bad blood stems from Square’s refusal to continue production of Final Fantasy VII for the Nintendo 64 back in 1994 due to the machine using cartridge media. As you know, the game was shifted across to PlayStation and was a massive global success. This really (and completely unfairly) angered Nintendo chiefs, and the two companies ended what had been a longstanding and profitable relationship.
It now seems stupid that Nintendo is willing to hold a grudge against Square for making what can only be described as an essential business decision all those years ago.
We will have to wait and see what happens next in this saga. We think that hardware performance will be key to any future deals. If Nintendo struggles with the GameCube it may well want to get back into bed with Square. If it does well, Yamauchi can sleep soundly in the belief that he made the right decision.
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