3/8/02
Square To Resume Supply Of Game
Software To Nintendo
OSAKA (Nikkei)–Nintendo Co. has
agreed to resume procuring the popular "Final Fantasy" video game software for
its game consoles from Square Co. after a five-year hiatus, The Nihon Keizai
Shimbun learned Friday.
Nintendo, whose game machines have
been most popular among schoolchildren, hopes obtaining Square game software
will help its console sales spread among higher age groups.
Under the agreement, Nintendo
President Hiroshi Yamauchi will provide funds to a Square-affiliated game
production company to help it develop software in the "Final Fantasy" series for
Nintendo machines.
The money will come from Fund Q, a
fund Yamauchi set up in January to help finance software development. The
affiliate is due to be founded by Square and Akitoshi Kawazu, one of the game’s
developers, by the end of March.
The deal calls on the Square
affiliate to produce software allowing users of two Nintendo consoles — the
GameCube and Game Boy Advance — to play together by the end of the year.
The Nintendo Super Famicon machine
was once popular with the help of software in the "Final Fantasy" series. In
1996, however, Square switched to supplying new "Final Fantasy" titles for
consoles made by Sony Corp. group company Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Square will continue to provide
"Final Fantasy" games to Sony, even while offering a version for Nintendo.
