Square Enix Looking for Overseas Partner

September 24, 2007 1:39 PM

Japanese RPG giant Square Enix wants a publishing partner in the U.S. or Europe to raise its relatively low overseas revenues, Square Enix's senior VP told the Financial Times. Michihiro Sasaki said the company wants this new business relationship to increase overseas sales to 50% of the company's total revenues, up from the 10% to 20% foreign sales make up currently.

"We need to seek co-operation with a US publisher--we need local content," Sasaki told the Financial Times at the Tokyo Game Show. "Our strength is in role-playing games and fantasy titles, so it is a bit difficult to appeal to the US market."

The agreement may be similar to the 1998 agreement between pre-Enix merger Squaresoft and Electronic Arts. Forming Square Electronic Arts in America and Electronic Arts Square in Japan, the agreement allowed the companies to share revenues off of publishing the other's titles in their respective territories.

Though worried about the low global sales of the PlayStation 3, Sasaki said Square Enix was also interested in pursuing more online titles like the company's massively multiplayer Final Fantasy XI.

Carlos Bergfeld

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valcan_s

 reply
September 24, 2007 1:50 PM

Simple, just choose a company and start making new games for the PC and Xbox 360 (instant money).

As much as I love my PS3, in this day and age it is mental to support only one console, and goes for other companies as well.

I have to give props to Capcom they have seen the light long ago, its only a matter of time before everyone does it.
- DinK
  
   reply
  September 24, 2007 1:58 PM
  
  This was my first thought exactly. I don't see any big square enix RPGs on shelves for 360 or even Wii, so I don't think anybody could be surprised that they aren't making a killing in north america.
  - knightblade87
    
     reply
    September 24, 2007 2:01 PM
    
    i agree, if they make a big RPG for xbox or even wii (the reson 3rd parties don't sell on wii becuase most of them are half ass jobs, I.E. ubisoft) and it will sell.
  - knightblade87
    
     reply
    September 24, 2007 2:07 PM
    
    also i think most people are kind of getting sick of square right now. instead of making more posts of fianl fantasy games and spin offs, they should make new franchises, or go back to old ones (parsite eve 3 is going to cell phones, WTF?) if they spend the time to make new games instead of more spim off of a final fantasy that is not out yet, they could make more money.
    
    they don't need to make new multi platform games, they should make diffent games for diffent systems like capcom.
    
    as said before capcom is starting to make new franchises like lost planet and zack and winki.. why can't square do the same?
    - dedgecko
      
       reply
      September 24, 2007 3:05 PM
      
      Innovation tends to die out when huge influxes of cash appear. Though I wish they would snap out of their funk.
      
      I know this isn't exactly Square, but another title that is similar to the original Actraiser would be a blessing.
    - sreyes22
      
       reply
      September 24, 2007 3:05 PM
      
      The good designers of Square left a long time ago, thus their merge with Enix, which hasn't helped them at all. Now they just make kiddy looking games with dulled down plot lines in hopes of capturing a broader market - when in fact their target market was much smaller. The focus on a smaller market lead to better games being made because of intricate story lines.
      
      Now they're just churning out graphic intense games with feminine male characters in save-the-world plot lines.