Xboxist

Square Enix Hearts the Xbox 360

Somebody find a way to break the news to Sony. While the undisputed champion of Japanese consoles has been busy trying to reproduce its trend of world domination with the PS3, Sony’s old sweetheart Square Enix has grown impatient. Signs are showing that the Japanese RPG maker has grown weary of its love affair with Sony, and may have set its wandering eyes on another suitor: Microsoft. One clue that the happy marriage between Sony and Square Enix is on the rocks came when the latter dropped the bombshell announcement that Final Fantasy XIII is no longer exclusive to the PS3. The recent release of Star Ocean 4 and The Last Remnant has cemented this warming relationship. In a recent interview with Edge Magazine, Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto had nothing but good things to say about the American device:

“We expect the Xbox 360 to increase its Japanese market presence even more in the coming months. There is a growing interest in Xbox 360 among Japanese users, due to the release of familiar titles, the increasing appeal of overseas titles, and the excellent reputation of the Xbox 360’s network services."

Will this additional attention from Square Enix help Microsoft’s chances in the difficult Japanese market? Maybe, but it will take more than one major publisher to make the Xbox 360 a serious contender in Japan. Square Enix is probably focused more on the potential profits to be made in other parts of the world where the 360 has a larger market share. Certainly, this marks a recognition by the software maker that there are important markets for its products outside of Japan. Square Enix has recently gone on an acquisition spree, seeking development partners in North America and Europe.

Microsoft faces an uphill battle if it wants to make a dent in the Japanese console market.

[Source: Edge Magazine]