Square Enix and Nintendo loving each other

Square Enix has posted its financial standings ending March 31, 2008, and suffice to say, the relationship with Nintendo must be amiable at worst. The Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series' took up most of the room, averaging about half a million in sales for their respective countries:

* Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (NDS) - 1,150,000 (Japan)

* Final Fantasy IV (NDS) - 590,000 (Japan)

* Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (NDS) - 540,000 (Japan), 222,000 (US), 280,000 (Europe)

* Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates (NDS) - 380,000 (Japan), 160,000 (US), 150,000 (Europe)

* Itadaki Street: Mario & Dragon Quest (NDS) - 430,000 (Japan)

* Final Fantasy III (NDS) - 480,000 (Europe. Two million globally)

* Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) - 800,000 (Japan), 450,000 (US)

* Dragon Quest Swords (Wii) - 490,000 (Japan), 110,000 (US)

Offline game sales fell 45%, and mobile game sales were less than expected. The upside to this is company boss Wada-san has said mobile content could easily be transferred to the NDS, so it's not very unlikely we'd see Parasite Eve 3, Tobal, or Final Fantasy IV: The After (the sequel to FF IV) on the handheld, as Japan has with Front Mission 2089: Borders of Madness. Can't help feel PE3 would be more fitted to the PSP than the DS though, and even moreso again to the PS3.

Besides this stuff, we'll be getting a DS horror title this year (the Game With No Name), Sigma Harmonics, a possible Chrono Trigger reimagining for the portable, and the anime-based Soul Eater on the Wii. They'll also be publishing Infinite Undiscovery with developer tri-Ace for the Xbox 360. This is indeed going to be an interesting year with Square Enix.

[Angelitos]

Square Enix is gonna love Sony in 2009 with FF13 and FFV13.

[Surfman]

Square always loved Sony anway. Since FF7 to FFXII, and the sequels, Crisis Core, etc... those titles gave the good reputation to SquareEnix and lot of money.

[Amanosenpai]

Agree...

SE should focus in new releases and stop the remakes for the DS...

[getrdone]

yea but the old remakes bring in a lot of money to SE and with that money makes the best looking games on ps2 and soon the ps3.

[PS360WII]

They are doing more then putting remakes on the DS! They have a slew of new games out for the DS they just so happen to also nock off a couple of remakes but the ones they are remaking are going 3D with voice acting and all that. Plus plenty of new ones in the works as well. Square Enix is putting many new franchises on the DS

[Surfman]

well its easier to make games on a portable console... games on a system like the PS3 should sell as more as they did on the DS, and even more.

[Imallvol7]

I want Square to love PS3 more. Even 360 more. I just love seeing Final Fantasy games with amazing graphics that help make the story have more of an impact.

[PS360WII]

Square Enix has been rockin out on the DS and continue to do so :) Glad Wada said that moblie games can just be moved easily to the DS that gives hope to a couple would be titles ^^ they also have a few console games coming up which will be a great welcome!

[Montrealien]

There would be no Final Fantasy or square for that matter if it where not for Nintendo. It's nice to see they are working together like they used to.

[thenickel]

And the same goes for PS3 and 360. We should all give thanks to Nintendo or at least recognize what they've done.

[Aclay]

If Square Enix thinks that they've seen good sales so far, just imagine how much money they'll rake in once they drop Final Fantasy XIII, the most anticipated RPG of the entire 7th generation. Ha ha!.... I can just see PS3's flying off shelves around the world right now once that game drops.

Square Enix doesn't need to waste their time developing games on the 360.

[thenickel]

Please explain why Square doesn't need to waste time developing for 360? Are you saying that people that own 360 will not buy there products or are you maybe just saying that to be a jerk for no reason at all? Not everybody can afford all three consoles and not everybody cares about brand loyalty so speak for yourself. When ever I come across a comment like yours I always wonder how someone could build so much hate towards a company or rival console. It's sad but I guess it happens and some of you will never grow up and continue to take this stuff way to personal. I love games and play them for fun but will never say things just to anger others out of disrespect.

[SaiyanFury]

I would say that Square should release more titles for those of us who own the major consoles, being PS3 and 360 in general, and should focus a bit less on the handhelds. The PS3 in particular, which is much bigger in Japan than 360, needs some real Japanese RPGs coming. Final Fantasy XIII is great, but what about others? How about a REAL sequel to Chrono Trigger, and not a sequel to Radical Dreamers which was a graphic novel on the SNES in Japan. That's right folks. Chrono Cross on PS1 wasn't a sequel to Chrono Trigger, but a completely different experience on the SNES in Japan. Look for a ROM called "Radical Dreamers" for the SNES and you'll see what I mean. I don't mean to say that Chrono Cross was bad, it's one of my favourite PS RPGs, but it wasn't a real sequel.

Square! We need some PS3 games, and soon! I'm going stir crazy for some JRPGs!

[Bathyj]

Square knows where to make easy cash in between their real games. Not to say the Nintendo games aren't good but people said why make a PS3 exclusive? You wouldn't make as much money. By sticking to PS3 they can make the best FF games they can possibly make and since they take so long, in the meantime they are not struggling for cash are they and not all their eggs are in the one basket.

Square have done it very smart

[TruthbeTold]

Though I'm a big fan of the Wii, due to its relative limitations I wouldn't want to see FFXIII on it. We have an opportunity for the game to be huge on a scale so far unheard of when you take into account the way the graphics will play out.

So, in the meantime, we Nintendo folk get some nice remakes (Chrono Trigger?!?) and a few nice little side games to keep us busy, while SE makes the cash it takes to pump out a game like FFXIII, keep up the upper levels of love and hype for the series, and continue the cycle.

I know many don't agree, but I like what the Wii is doing. I like what the HD systems are doing. There's room for all of it. At some point, there are going to be enough of these consoles out there, that even if you can't own more than one, you will undoubtedly have a friend(s) who owns the one(s) you don't. It's a good time to be a gamer.

[RecSpec]

Unfortunately, one of the best DS games made by Square (The World Ends With You) will not get the sales it deserves due to it NOT being a FF or DQ game, a shame really.

This is the reasons companies stick to remake after remake. If people are not familiar with the name, then it probably won't sell well. But spinoffs and sequels will usually do better due to familiarity with the name.

Of course, maybe that's a good thing, especially concerning how sequels tend to turn out.

[Ogrekiller]

If they do have the ability to port mobile titles over to the DS, then Before Crisis had better be one of them. After all, it's the only title in the Compilation that has yet to be released outside of Japan.

A problem though: How the materia system is going to be implemented without the camera that the phone offers? Will they'll revamp the system to complement the DS's capabilities?

A graphical update would also be appreciated - although BC was gorgeous for a mobile title, its controls and framerate left a lot to be improved - hopefully that would be addressed.

Otherwise, Nintendo and SE really have patched up. Still waiting for the Wii killer lineup: Crystal Bearers, King Story, The Conduit and MadWorld. Can hardly wait!!

[Wii60PS3DSPSP]

Simple possible fix for the materia, they make a special gba camera cartridge, stuff like that has been done before for the Game Boy. Though something using the touchscreen would be easier.

[Ogrekiller]

Well, I don't think that a GBA cam cart is exactly the best idea, since it drives production costs higher and it's really a waste when it's only for that one game (it's hard to think of the DS as a camera, although someone could take advantage of it; who knows?)

Personally, I would think that they would simply add materia into the shop system already present. It's not too big of a coding challenge, surely.

I'm crossing my fingers for PE3, FFIV: After KH: Coded and FFXIII: Agito DS ports eventually. For that mobile project that was canceled, switch development to DS! It's bound to make money, and it's as safe as it gets in the business.

[DriftMax]

Are they sexing?