- More Final Fantasy VII remake blab
 The editors at EGM magazine (June 2006, issue 204) have taken it upon themselves to confirm the existence of a Final Fantasy VII remake, due exclusively for the PS3 next year. This is in light of Yoshinori Kitasi's commments, explicitly to EGM mind you, that a remake would take five years to complete, as well as a direct assertion from Square Enix that "there will be no Final Fantasy VII remake".
- Wada suggests compounding Polymorphism™ in future after disappointing game sales
 As reported by gamesindustry.biz after an interview with Square Enix President Yoichi Wada surfaced in a Japanese business magazine, the company is looking at moving into other markets than videogames. Current areas on the list for potential inclusion are Taito's expertise with the arcade games market as well as a more involved media strategy not unlike its recent foray into animation through Advent Children or past successes with popular anime series Fullmetal Alchemist. Does this mean that innovative games like Chrono Trigger are a thing of the past, and the only publications we can expect in the future will be part of the major pillars (FF, DQ and KH)? What is Wada doing to this company, anyway? Gi.biz
- Famitsu extrapolates FFXIII details
 In a recent issue of Famitsu (scans here), the Japanese gaming magazine took a look at Final Fantasy XIII's battle system. Viewing the latest battle screens, a bar that reads "ATB Cost" and drains with each command floats next to character HP. In the upper right-hand corner, a gauge fills to allow for an "Overclock" status, where enemies are slowed to allow for turn-based bullet time. Finally, one can make out "Lightning" to the left of ATB Cost. Could this be our beauty's name? It seems like the natural progression after years of Clouds and Squalls. Har! Famitsu
- Project G - Life imitates Nomura
 As the first of the 2006 Square Haven Editorial Prose of Doom series, affiliate homeboy duckroll's expos? muses on Japanese rockpimpstar Gackt's "contribution" to Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Note: Dirge of Cerberus spoilers abound Read it and cringe
- Fabula Nova Crystallis: FINAL FANTASY XIII unveiled at E3
 Final Fantasy XIII has been revealed, but it's not like we thought it would be. It's a polymorphic franchise comparable to Compilation of Final Fantasy VII titled Fabula Nova Crystallis and comes in three parts: two for Playstation 3 and one for mobile phones. Each game will feature different characters, locations, and world settings, but share a similar universe and thematic elements. Final Fantasy XIII, in brief, is developed by the Final Fantasy X-2 team, directed by Motomu Toriyama and composed by Masashi Hamauzu. Featuring a female protagonist, the game will feature the "most advanced videogame population to date". Final Fantasy Versus XIII is directed by Tetsuya Nomura and developed by the Kingdom Hearts II team and may relate to KH2's XIII Organisation. Music by Yoko Shimomura. Finally, Final Fantasy Agito XIII is an online RPG for mobile phones from the team behind Before Crisis Final Fantasy VII. Phew. So what do you think?
- E3 2006: the Square Enix press conference
 3 FINAL FANTASY XIII games, 2 Crystal Chronicles games for Nintendo consoles, 1 Dragon Quest Swords game for Wii, and a whole shitload of mobile ports and spinoffs. Click for the juice! Link
- Nintendo whoring out Pokémon for profits
 Suffice to say that these Pokémon have been around anyway, but now Nintendo's Pokémon Company has struck an agreement with Square Enix to develop Pokémate, a chat and mail application doused with Pokémon media and soon to be made available on Foma 900i series phones in Japan. A wise decision, especially considering Square Enix's success in mobile exploits such as Before Crisis. Though releasing this summer for a paltry 200 yen ($1.74 USD) per month, Pok?mate will likely not see a stateside release, seeing as how the franchise's popularity in the US has taken a swift kick to the groin in recent times. IGN
- An E3 2006 approaches. Command?
Square Enix's lineup for this year has 14 HP and a lot of mana to spare. Oh, and there's a new title for Seiken Densetsu IV... Link
- Square Enix forces pirate to walk plank
 In a recent press release, Square Enix announced their settlement in a piracy case involving Final Fantasy VII:Advent Children and declared their intentions toward increased anti-piracy efforts. On April 17, the company reached a "confidential settlement" with a copyright infringer who uploaded Advent Children in its entirety to Google Video, only to be swiftly discovered and forced into an admission of guilt by Square Enix's persistent legal department. Though it is arguable this poor soul was only attempting to provide a service to parts of the world plagued by the company's long localization times, Square Enix sees things differently. "In connection with [...] Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children," said Yasuhiko Hasegawa, Square Enix's General Manager of Legal Affairs, "we are actively pursuing those who commit intellectual property infringement against our company." Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children releases legally in Europe and North America on April 24 and 25, respectively. Square Enix
- Final Fantasy XI producer to create new PS3 MMO
 In a recent interview, Final Fantasy XI producer Hiromichi Tanaka let slip his possibility of his working on a new MMORPG for the approaching Playstation 3 and Windows Vista. Though he offered no more pieces of information, Tanaka did mention that a PS3 version of Final Fantasy XI would take two or three years to construct, thereby making any such endeavor an inefficient use of resources and his team's time better spent developing a new title. gamesindustry.biz
- Square Enix profits fall and tumble
 Despite more optimistic initial numbers, Square Enix has since lowered its projections for the 2005/2006 fiscal year, with net sales at 125 billion yen ($1.06 billion USD) and net profit at 10 billion yen ($84.67 million USD), the latter figure a whopping 42.9% lower than previous estimations. Although high-profile titles such as Kingdom Hearts II and Final Fantasy XII helped to bolster sales, profits were damaged by the lack of top-sellers during the period from April through September. And despite the relative success of Final Fantasy XI, Squeenix's other MMO ventures have not gone successfully; likely the cause of their discontinued Everquest II support. What course will the company take in light of these events? That is difficult to say, but with the inability to point a finger squarely at Hironobu Sakaguchi, a renewed business strategy may be necessary. Game Daily
- Square Enix and friends lay sights on 360
 Own an X-Box 360? Ready for some real Square Enix RPG goodness? Keep waiting. In a recent Microsoft press conference, Square Enix unveiled Project Sylph, their newest foray into next-gen first person shooters. Thankfully, Star Ocean creators Tri-Ace also announced an RPG being developed for Microsoft Game Studios while Squeenix expatriate Hironobu Sakaguchi's Mistwalker provided trailers for Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon. Given some time, your 360 purchase may have actually been worthwhile. Maybe. Joystiq
- Square Enix drops Everquest II like bad habit
 After one year of vaguely successful support, Square Enix will end its Japanese administration of Everquest II and pass the title's reins to Sony Online Entertainment beginning in July. This may be an effort to clear up room for Square Enix's new rumored MMO, but could your favorite MMORPG be next? GameWatch
- Sakuraba to stage Valkyrie concert
 You won't be hearing any Wagner at Roppongi's Laforet Museum this June 4th, but fans of Tri-Ace are in for a treat. Famed composer Motoi Sakuraba will be holding a concert to celebrate the impending release of Valkyrie Profile Silmeria. The concert's instrumentation will consist of only a bass, drums, and piano (the latter performed by Sakuraba himself) and will feature music not only from Valkyrie Profile and Silmeria, but also the Star Ocean series as well. Tickets will be available tomorrow at Square Enix's official site; Valkyrie Profile Silmeria releases June 22nd in Japan. Famitsu
- Final Fantasy XII goes double-platinum
 Now two weeks into its Japanese release, Final Fantasy XII has sold an estimated 2.08 million copies, making it more popular in these, its early days, than either Final Fantasy X or Final Fantasy X-2. Could this be a positive sign or just another instance of mass fanboyism? Game Science
- Nomura discusses Kingdom Hearts
 In a recent premier party, Kingdom Hearts II director Tetsuya Nomura commented on the fact that the changes made to accommodate Kingdom Hearts II for its United States release were minimal and thus not conducive of an International version. More interestingly, Nomura-san emphasized his plans for another Kingdom Hearts project, which he stressed would not be a direct sequel or foray into other media types, and noted that Square Enix has a "surprise ceremony" in store for E3. A line of Kingdom Hearts controllers, perhaps? Famitsu
- Squeenix registers more new trademarks
 According to German GameFront, Square Enix has registered several new trademarks with the United States Patent Office, including "Dragon Quest Heroes", "Dragon Quest Swords", "Rocket Slime", and "The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors". A Dragon Quest theme is quite apparent; the games themselves are not. Perhaps "Rocket Slime" is really Slime Morimori in disguise, and "The Masked Queen and the Towers of Mirrors" an English subtitle for Dragon Quest Yangus. Then again, perhaps not. GameFront
- Advent Children receives North American screening
 To celebrate the April 25th North American release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Square Enix is hosting a special screening at Los Angeles' Cinerama Dome on the evening of April 3rd. Tickets will be given out at noon of that same day to 800 lucky people who manage to find transportation to this historic marquee. "Key production staff and cast" are also noted to appear, so don't miss this chance to get "up close and personal" with animator number fifteen. Squre Enix
- Square Enix teams up with Gakken to make games that are not fun
 Square Enix has announced today that they are to form a joint venture with Japanese company Gakushuukenkyuusha ("Gakken" for short, don't worry) in order to form "SG Lab", a new developer concerned with creating games that will focus on education and research. Opening May 1st, the studio will cater to clients looking for software to aid in the fields of medicine, health care, and public relations. Squeenix CEO Yoichi Wada expressed his hopes that SG Lab will become a leader in its field, which remarkably does not yet exist. GameWatch
- Final Fantasy XII soundtrack set for release
 April 19 will see the Japanese release of the Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack, which features main composition by Hitoshi Sakimoto with various thematic inserts by Nobuo Uematsu. The limited edition package, priced at around ?3990, with imports running anywhere from $32.66 to $38.90 USD, will come packaged in a DVD case and include both the four-disc soundtrack and a twenty-eight page booklet. Picture
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25 May 2006 by 
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