Square Enix
is a
Japanese producer of
video games and
manga. Square Enix is best known for its
console role-playing game franchises, which include the
Final Fantasy series and the
Dragon Quest series (previously known as
Dragon Warrior in
North America). Square Enix was formed as the result of a
merger between
Square Co., Ltd. and
Enix that took effect as of
April 1,
2003. Enix officially absorbed Square, with Square stockholders receiving 0.81 shares of stock in the new company compared to Enix stockholders receiving a one-to-one trade. Despite this, many top officials within Square assumed leadership roles in the new corporate hierarchy, including Square
president Yoichi Wada, who was appointed president of the new corporation.
Square Enix has regional operations, including Square Enix, Inc. (for all of North America) and Square Enix Ltd (for
Europe and other areas that use the
PAL-
television standard). In July 2003, Square Enix relocated their headquarters to Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. In March 2004, Square Enix acquired
UIEvolution, Inc. in order to strengthen its wireless market. On
August 22,
2005, Square Enix announced their acquisition of
Taito Corporation, renowned for their arcade hits,
Space Invaders and the
Bubble Bobble series. By
September 28,
2005, Square Enix had wholly acquired Taito. In January 2005, the company expanded operations to
Beijing,
China by establishing Square Enix (China) Co., Ltd as a
wholly-owned subsidiary. The company also has a
controlling interest in Community Network Software Engine of
Beijing, China which focuses on network middleware for gaming.
Computer and video games
By far, Square Enix's video gaming properties are its most valued assets. Square Enix's
Dragon Quest franchise is considered the most popular game series in Japan, and each new installment of the series routinely breaks Japanese sales records. The
Dragon Quest franchise has sold over 40 million units worldwide, with about 39 million from Japan. The
Final Fantasy franchise, however, has been considered Square Enix's most important asset, and is the best selling Square Enix franchise worldwide, selling over 68 million units. [
1]. More recently, Square Enix's
Kingdom Hearts series (developed in collaboration with
Disney's
Buena Vista Games) has become massively popular worldwide, adding another valuable asset to the company.
In May 2004 Square Enix announced an agreement with
Sony Online Entertainment for the Japanese publishing rights to
EverQuest II. As of 2006, Square Enix has produced titles for the
Sony PlayStation 2,
Nintendo GameCube, and
Microsoft Xbox 360 video game consoles, as well as for the Nintendo
Game Boy Advance and
Nintendo DS handheld game consoles. The company has announced titles for the upcoming
PlayStation 3, and
Wii consoles, as well as for the
Nintendo DS and
PlayStation Portable (PSP). In addition, they have published games for
Microsoft Windows-based
personal computers, and for various models of
mobile phone. Square Enix
mobile phone games are available on the
Vodafone network in some European countries, including
Britain,
Spain, and
France. Twenty five of Square Enix's video games were included in
Famitsu magazine's top 100 games, seven being in the top ten list [
2].
Square Enix game franchises
Dragon Quest - from Enix - established on the
MSX in 1986
Final Fantasy - from Square - established on the
Famicom in 1987
Itadaki Street (Japan-only) - from Enix - established on the Famicom in 1988
SaGa - from Square - established on the
Game Boy in 1989
Seiken Densetsu (Mana series of games outside Japan) - from Square - franchise name trademarked in 1987 being originally intended to be established on the Famicom Disk System, but the name was revived for franchise establishment on the Game Boy in 1991
Chrono Trigger - from Square - established on the
Super Famicom in 1995
Front Mission - from Square - established on the Super Famicom in 1995
Star Ocean - from Enix - established on the Super Famicom in 1996
Kingdom Hearts - from Square with
Disney - established on the PlayStation 2 in 2002
Drakengard - in development for Enix, but published in the Square Enix name - established on the
PlayStation 2 in 2003
Film
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a
CGI-
animation movie based on Squaresoft's successful
PlayStation game
Final Fantasy VII that is set two years after the events of the game.
Manga
The company also has a
manga publishing division in Japan (from Enix) called
Gangan Comics. It publishes manga for the Japanese market only. It also publishes a popular Japanese manga anthology called
Monthly Shonen Gangan. Titles published by Gangan Comics include
Papua,
Spiral, and
Fullmetal Alchemist. Also contains manga adaptations of diverse Enix, and later Square-Enix games, like
Kingdom Hearts.
Fullmetal Alchemist was licensed for release in North America by
Viz Media, while
Kingdom Hearts and
Spiral were licensed by
Tokyopop.
List of Square Enix games*
Yahoo! Finance company profile*
GameFAQs release listing*
IGN company profile*
TGS 2005: Square Enix Video Wall Presentation*
Square Enix Global site *
PlayOnline Square Enix's portal for their online titles including
Final Fantasy XI &
Front Mission Online*
History of Enix and Square (official site)*
Financial details of Square Enix's acquisition of Taitozh-yue:Square Enix
