Square Enix is looking to change the way operation works in the Europe offices, and so is also looking to change their name. Forming a new entity, they are now to be dubbed temporarily as Square Enix Europe. This office will take care of all the publishing for Square Enix and Eidos products.

With the announcement of their E3 lineup this year, Square Enix moves into the expo aiming to show a broader variety of games than the ones we usually see. Taking their partnerships with other developers, the A-list publisher will showcase different game genres in their booth, apart from their arsenal of heavyweight franchises of course.

Big things up for Square Enix! They've just set up shop in LA, and in an interview, SE US president John Yamamoto has confided their plans: the LA studio is going digital. He also revealed the general direction the corporation is going - global markets and what not. But in what could be called as one of the boldest statements ever made in the industry, he's already declaring the exclusivity war officially over. Like whoa.

John Yamamoto, president and CEO of Square Enix, was recently interviewed by Ellie Gibson of GamesIndustry.biz during E3 on his views on E3, the PS3 and what Square will be doing in the future. Square Enix is the company that brought us the landmark series Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts, and classic games you may remember and still love like Chrono Trigger and Xenogears.

 

Yamamoto announces that Square will not be holding any press conferences this year at E3 and would instead opt for something more cost-effective since E3 has chosen to go for a tamer path this year. Instead, Square will be putting more effort into the Tokyo Game Show where they will be making some of their announcements rather than in E3. E3 will still get a big bite from the Square though, showing off their latest games like Dragon Quest, the latest in the Final Fantasy series, The War of the Lions, Front Mission and Heroes of Mana.

It was also expressed that Square is addressing the concerns of Western consumers that they have to wait longer for their games to be released in their area. Yamamoto, who recently took on roles for Square in their US and European bases, explains that they want to make the translations as best as they can. Their target aim is to release games in 5 languages to Japan, the US and Europe all at the same time. This is one of their hopes for Last Remnant, their newest game to be released.

 

Yamamoto comments that the PS3 is still expensive for most gamers. Square is still "watching the hardware trends closely and also the marketing strategy of the platform holders", but Yamamoto refuses to comment on the future of the Final Fantasy series on the PS3. However, a spokesperson added that "at previous E3s and other shows we've announced different Final Fantasies for different platforms, and I think that will continue."

Now that we know the exact date of the PS3's European debut, it's time to start marking those calendars again as we prepare for Sony's console to land in new territory. However, it's not just the local gamers who are excited over this upcoming event, but major game publishers have also expressed their delight with having a new machine to work with.

Among those who have voiced out their support for the console include Vivendi Northern Europe, Square Enix, Ubisoft UK, and Konami. In case nobody has noticed, these same companies are the ones who are producing or developing several highly-anticipated titles for the PS3, such as F.E.A.R., Final Fantasy XIII, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and Metal Gear Solid 4.

Exciting times ahead are also hinted at by Square Enix CEO John Yamamoto, who has confirmed that FFXIII and FF Versus FIII are already under development, and that these games will be "using the full power of the PlayStation 3." He also adds that via the PS3, they "hope to make them the best games we have ever released."

Fans of different consoles don't have to worry though, as these companies aren't playing favorites. As Konami's PR and marketing manager Jon Murphy so nicely puts it, they like everyone and their "commitment to creating exciting games for PlayStation 3 is as strong as it is for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii systems."

Japanese publisher Square Enix is ready to break out of Japan and head west. According to SE president and CEO John Yamamoto, the company is anticipating the European gaming market to be bigger than Japan's. To capitalize on all that gaming Euro, the company plans to develop more 'Western' games in the future. In fact, the company is already shopping for a European developer to help them carve out a big slice of the European pie.

"I am very interested in European development because there are a lot of very good independent studios," said Yamamoto. "We have started having meetings with people right now, and we will keep going. Titles I’m looking at are for Europe and also the US. We are not looking to hire staff one by one, so maybe studios that have good experience would be easier to work with."

Their opening salvo for 2007 is Final Fantasy XII - almost a sure winner. But you FF fans out there better pace yourselves. The company famous for its RPG games has plans of Finally (and its not a Fantasy) releasing "over a dozen" of its Japan-only titles into the European market in various formats!

Some of Square Enix's Japan-only titles include:

• Final Fantasy II, III, IV, V and Final Fantasy VII International
• Square's Tom Sawyer
• Romancing SaGa 1,2 and 3
• Hanjuku Hero: Aah Sekai yo Hanjuku Nare
• Alcahest
• Live A Live
• Front Mission/ Front Mission Second / Front Mission: Gun Hazard/ Front Mission: Alternative
• Seiken Densetsu 3
• Bahamut Lagoon
• Treasure of the Rudras /Treasure Hunter G
• Treasure Conflix
• Koi ha baransu
• Dynamitracer
• Radical Dreamers
• Pro-Logic Mahjong Pai-Shin
• Power Stakes / Power Stakes Grade 1
• Tobal 2
• Digical League
• Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon
• Itadaki Street
• JJ