Square: Heading Back To Nintendo?
Could Square break up it's one-console alliance with Sony in order to develop games for the Nintendo GameCube?
Published: August 28, 2000
We've seen it. We've talked about it. We've even breathed it all in. Last week was referred to in many ways as "Nintendo Week", as the gaming entity showed off it's new next-generation predecessor to the Nintendo 64; the Gamecube. Make no doubt it: It was Cube Fever for those who were waiting for something new to rise up from the Big N.
And now, it seems that this "Cube Fever" may be impacting the minds of several big gaming firms. Most notably: Square. Ever since the appearance of the PlayStation in 1995, Square has shared somewhat of an alliance with Sony Computer Entertainment, developing games exclusively for the PSX console.
This alliance is expected to continue with the next-generation PlayStation2, with games such as The Bouncer and Final Fantasy X already making headlines in the media. But now, one must question whether Square's loyalty to Sony is as sound as many people think.
Nintendo is betting that Square may one day break this alliance in order to produce games for their up-and-coming console. During this interview conducted by Gamers.com with Jim Merrick; technical director of Nintendo Of America, a stunning revelation would quickly be revealed:
[blockquote]"Somebody asked on the teleconference last night if Square is back on board, and the answer to that was just a smile ... we couldn't answer that one.
"We have seen a really strong response from everybody, whether it's Namco, Capcom, everybody over here: Enix and Square ... a very loaded question, there's lots of things going on there. Nintendo knows how important they are."[/blockquote]Shigeru Miyamoto; the mastermind behind such Nintendo characters as Mario and Zelda further commented on this recent turn of events by stating the following:
[blockquote]"It's not as if there weren't any RPGs (on N64). I think about the only RPGs missing are THIS one and THAT one. If these developers still have the ability to continue to produce these series, I think Nintendo GAMECUBE will be the easiest console to develop for.
"Our job is to increase the user base so that these companies can profit from making their games on our system. If we can accomplish our goal, I think developers will choose our console, which is the easiest to develop for."[/blockquote]It's easy to see that Miyamoto took advantage of the fact that the PlayStation2 is quite possibly the hardest system to develop games for. It should be said that the "THIS" and "THAT" portions from the excerpt can be considered as any company that has produced RPG-based titles for the PlayStation in the past; most notably including Enix and Square.
Will our one-console dynasty continue to operate? We can only wait and see.
And now, it seems that this "Cube Fever" may be impacting the minds of several big gaming firms. Most notably: Square. Ever since the appearance of the PlayStation in 1995, Square has shared somewhat of an alliance with Sony Computer Entertainment, developing games exclusively for the PSX console.
This alliance is expected to continue with the next-generation PlayStation2, with games such as The Bouncer and Final Fantasy X already making headlines in the media. But now, one must question whether Square's loyalty to Sony is as sound as many people think.
Nintendo is betting that Square may one day break this alliance in order to produce games for their up-and-coming console. During this interview conducted by Gamers.com with Jim Merrick; technical director of Nintendo Of America, a stunning revelation would quickly be revealed:
[blockquote]"Somebody asked on the teleconference last night if Square is back on board, and the answer to that was just a smile ... we couldn't answer that one.
"We have seen a really strong response from everybody, whether it's Namco, Capcom, everybody over here: Enix and Square ... a very loaded question, there's lots of things going on there. Nintendo knows how important they are."[/blockquote]Shigeru Miyamoto; the mastermind behind such Nintendo characters as Mario and Zelda further commented on this recent turn of events by stating the following:
[blockquote]"It's not as if there weren't any RPGs (on N64). I think about the only RPGs missing are THIS one and THAT one. If these developers still have the ability to continue to produce these series, I think Nintendo GAMECUBE will be the easiest console to develop for.
"Our job is to increase the user base so that these companies can profit from making their games on our system. If we can accomplish our goal, I think developers will choose our console, which is the easiest to develop for."[/blockquote]It's easy to see that Miyamoto took advantage of the fact that the PlayStation2 is quite possibly the hardest system to develop games for. It should be said that the "THIS" and "THAT" portions from the excerpt can be considered as any company that has produced RPG-based titles for the PlayStation in the past; most notably including Enix and Square.
Will our one-console dynasty continue to operate? We can only wait and see.
