Square Enix moving into hardware

August 8th, 2006, 17:48 Posted By: wraggster

Final Fantasy developer and Japanese publishing giant, Square Enix is moving into the hardware market, according to translated reports from Japanese news outlet Nikkei Business Online.

Speaking to the news outlet, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada spoke on the importance of creating games that differ from tradition, citing the Nintendo DS and Apple's iPod as examples. "The strategy behind Nintendo and the iPod, to create a new environment based on hardware, is completely valid," he said. "But, this is impossible if you don't have experience making hardware. This is one of the reasons Square Enix will collaborate with Taito, a company that produces physical hardware."

Square Enix completed its acquisition of Taito in September last year, but Wada had nothing to offer on the eventual hardware the two will be releasing, other than it being "not the sort of thing you expect from Square Enix."

But we wouldn't get too excited about a full-on Square Enix console just yet; the company has recently committed significant resources into mobile development, and has also announced plans to move into content delivery platforms for mobile phones. Whatever Square Enix's hardware plans turn out to be, our guess is they'll likely be mobile related.

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