Square Enix Production Company - Final Fantasy
Square Enix Co., Ltd., is a video game software company best known for its series of Japanese role-playing games such as Final Fantasy None, Kingdom Hearts , and Dragon Quest . Although it is best known as a developer, it also acts as a publishing and distribution company founded in 2003 following the merger between Enix and Square. The company's headquarters are located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in the Shinjuku Eastside Square building. In addition to video games, the company has also produced films and a variety of merchandise. The company is also quite active in the arcade and manga industries.
Enix
Enix (originally Eidansha Boshu Service Center) was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima, an architect who eventually became an entrepreneur. The company focused on game development and partnered with various other companies, such as Chunsoft for Dragon Quest , Enix's most profitable title. Dragon Quest was released on the Famicom, the first entry in the RPG series, in 1986.
Square
Square was founded in 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto as a computer game software arm of Den-Yu-Sha, a power line construction company owned by his father. At that time, game development was usually handled by a single programmer, but Miyamoto felt it was better for games to be project-based with multiple people involved in various roles. Initially, Square enjoyed great success with its Famicom releases, that is, until the release of the role-playing game Final Fantasy , which turned out to be partly influenced by Enix's game Dragon Quest . Final Fantasy 's success was unparalleled among the company's other titles at the time, although it went on to release several other successful titles later in the future, such as Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Secret of Mana, Legend of Mana, Xenogears, Brave Fencer Musashi, Parasite Eve, Saga Frontier, Romancing Saga, Vagrant Story, and Kingdom Hearts. In 1994, Square opted to develop for the PlayStation over the Nintendo 64, as the PlayStation's development costs were lower due to its disc-based technology.
Game engines
Square Enix uses two main in-house game engines, Crystal Tools, a game engine that allowed Square Enix to develop 3D games that were also compatible with many different consoles, such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and even the Nintendo Wii, to some extent. However, it seems that the Luminous Studio engine replaced Crystal Tools with the introduction of new console generations. Square Enix also often uses other companies' game engines and programming languages for development (such as Epic Games' Unreal Engines, for example).
Online games
Before merging with Square, Enix released its first online game, Gate of the Cross , in 2001. Square Enix then released its online title Final Fantasy XI on the PlayStation 2, and was later ported to the Xbox 360, becoming the first MMORPG on the console. These games used PlayOnline, a platform-independent online gaming service. Their next online game, codenamed Rapture, is an MMORPG developed using the company's Crystal Tools engine and originally announced at E3 2009 and later known as Final Fantasy XIV . In September 2011, the MMORPG Dragon Quest X was announced and was released for the Wii and Wii U in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Square Enix has developed several browser and Facebook games. Online games for Yahoo! Japan have also been created. In 2012, it was announced that the company would create a free cloud gaming service that would run through its web browser, but was canceled in 2013.
Arcade, cinema and manga
In 2005, arcade developer Taito (known for arcade classics like Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble ) merged with Square Enix, giving Square Enix access to the company's massive arcade assets. Square Enix thus officially entered the arcade market in 2005. Since then, Square Enix has continued to produce quality arcade games. Square Enix has produced three films so far, such as Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within , a 3D computer-animated science fiction picture that draws on many elements of Final Fantasy games. An official Square Enix subsidiary, called Square Pictures, was also established and has also produced several other films. In addition, the company has a manga publishing division called Gangan Comics.
Goods
Square Enix has produced merchandise for almost all of its game franchises. For example, a Chocobo rubber ducky has been released, as well as coffee mugs and Chocobo character costumes. There are also several figurines, game controllers, board games, toys, pencil cases, keychains, pillows, T-shirts, and various other products inspired by Square Enix games. Square Enix has also produced merchandise inspired by other popular games, including Halo and Mass Effect .
