Editorial: Square Enix Opens US Studio –
What Do You Think?!
Raises support for Xbox 360
by Sutton Dagger:
©2008 Steve Sutton:
What do you think – See Poll below
The well respected Japanese developer and publisher, Square Enix, has issued a notice on their careers page calling for various positions to be filled in a new development studio based in Los Angeles.
Square Enix currently has two American based offices, one already in Los Angeles and the other in Seattle, both of which currently handle marketing, localisation and publishing for North America.
The new development studio seems to focus on producing more Western orientated titles, with the Xbox 360 a key focus. The development studio will be built from the ground up, with positions including; Xbox 360 software engineer, 3D artists, product manager and more.
Noted in Square Enix’s listings in the various career sections was this comment showing that they wish “to lay the foundation for a solid development team,” and calling specifically for software engineer applicants with experience in Xbox 360 and Wii development.
Followed further by “How often do you get a chance to make sure that a studio starts off in the right direction?”, asks Square Enix in one of its job postings. “How often do you get to be one of the starting members, but also have medical insurance? This is a rare opportunity to have the creative control of a start-up but the backing and funding of a major publisher.”
This move by Square Enix is another step in the trend towards Japanese studio’s moving into the more stable and profitable Western market. “We see great opportunities in North American and European markets, both of which are expected to be maintaining sustainable growth over these coming years,” according to Square Enix president, Yoichi Wada.
Square Enix had previously announced the once exclusive Final Fantasy XIII would be coming to the Xbox 360 and have continued supporting Microsoft’s platform with games such as Last Remnant and Star Ocean: the last hope, arriving soon. Wada san has been quoted earlier in praising the work of western firms with regards to their titles and studios.
So in short:
What does this mean for Square Enix’s relationship with Sony?
What does this mean for the countless Square Enix fans that purchased a PS3?
We will find out soon …
©2008 Steve Sutton:
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Filed under: Console gaming, Editorial, Industry News, New Game Information, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 News Tagged: | Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix, Square Enix Final Fantasy, Square Enix Open In The US, Yoichi Wada
