Square Enix Announces First Collaboration With Microsoft
LOS ANGELES, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan,
"Square Enix") a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment
software including two of the world's most popular franchises FINAL FANTASY(R)
and DRAGON QUEST(TM), today announced that FINAL FANTASY(R) XI will be
released on Xbox 360(TM), Microsoft's next-generation gaming console, and Xbox
Live, the company's premier online gaming service. The partnership was
announced at Microsoft's Media Briefing held in Los Angeles on May 16th. Xbox
360 will be available this holiday season.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030403/SQUARELOGO)
"As we move forward with our cross-platform strategy to bring our titles
to more gamers in multiple formats, we are extremely excited to launch our
popular MMORPG on the Xbox 360 and look forward to this collaboration with
Microsoft," said Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix. "The Xbox 360 provides
a powerful platform from which gamers can be immersed in the spell-binding
FINAL FANTASY XI story that comes to life through collaborative online game
play."
"We're thrilled to be working with Square Enix to bring their incredible
game FINAL FANTASY XI to Xbox 360," said Robbie Bach, Microsoft chief Xbox
officer. "The power of our next generation games and entertainment system
combined with the creativity and innovation of Square Enix promises to truly
revolutionize video games on a global scale."
FINAL FANTASY XI is a massively multi-player online role-playing game
(MMORPG). The original version of the game was released in May 2002 in Japan,
October 2003 in North America and September 2004 in Europe, with a subscriber
base now in excess of 500,000 active accounts.
With the release of the Xbox 360 version, Square Enix will be expanding
its cross-platform strategy, making FINAL FANTASY XI available to a much wider
audience. Players will be able to choose their hardware and play on the same
servers as existing gamers. The powerful next-generation capabilities of the
Xbox 360 will provide a much more dynamic and visually impressive gateway to
Vana'diel -- the world of FINAL FANTASY XI.
No further information regarding FINAL FANTASY XI for Xbox 360 is
available today. More details will be released in the coming months.
About FINAL FANTASY XI
In FINAL FANTASY XI, players undertake multiple adventures through
Vana'diel, a complex gaming world with more than 100 areas to explore. The
gaming universe contains the award-winning visual content, innovative gameplay
and deep storyline that the FINAL FANTASY series is famous for. The Rise of
the Zilart expansion pack expands the storyline and opens up a variety of
higher-level skills and abilities.
About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix)
develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including
interactive entertainment software and publications in Japan, North America,
Europe and Asia. Square Enix brings two of Japan's best-selling franchises --
FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 60 million units worldwide, and DRAGON
QUEST, which has sold over 40 million units worldwide -- under one roof.
Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment
content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and
innovation.
Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd.
with offices in Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA. It handles operations in
North America, including development, localization, marketing, and publishing
of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the
Internet at http://www.square-enix.com.
(C) 2005 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. SQUARE ENIX, SQUARE
ENIX logo, FINAL FANTASY, DRAGON QUEST and Vana'diel are either trademarks or
registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. in Japan and/or other
countries. Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox and Xbox Live are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other
countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE Square Enix Co., Ltd.
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Related links:
http://www.square-enix.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030403/SQUARELOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Kumiko Hakushi, kumiko@square-enix-usa.com,
or Felice Wu, felice@square-enix-usa.com, both of Square Enix,
Inc., +1-310-846-0400
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