The year was 2003, and the gaming industry was about to experience a monumental shift. Two giants in the world of role-playing games, Square Co. and Enix Corporation, announced a merger that would bring together some of the biggest franchises in gaming history. Fans of the Final Fantasy series, Dragon Quest, and countless other classic RPGs were excited to see what this new powerhouse would bring to the table. Now, twenty years later, we look back on the impact of this collaboration and how it shaped the RPG genre as we know it.
Today marks the 20-year anniversary of the merger between Square and Enix, two giant Japanese game publishers. Back in late 2002, the news of the merger was announced, and it took effect on April 1, 2003. At the time, I was living in Japan, and the announcement caused a lot of excitement among local residents. Both Square and Enix were major players in the booming Japanese console gaming market, holding the number one and number two RPG franchises, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, respectively.
While both companies had attempted to expand into Western markets, Square through a publishing partnership with Electronic Arts and Enix struggling, their main focus was on the Japanese market, which was at its peak at the time. However, things were changing rapidly for the gaming industry, with the rise of portable systems and advanced phone apps that began to dominate.
The merged Square-Enix quickly adapted and made a decision to get into the mobile market early, which paid off well, helping them through the difficult transition to HD gaming. Nevertheless, the question of why the two companies chose to merge at that point in time remains unanswered. One possibility could be the rumors swirling around about other big mergers in the industry, including one between Namco and Sega, which was never realized.
While both companies were enjoying great software sales success, they also faced issues. Square’s subsidiary, Digicube, a media publishing division, was failing after it published books and soundtrack CDs related to Square’s titles, and used a distribution service, providing boxed copies of games to be bought from convenience stores. However, the POS system at convenience stores was not tracking game sales well, resulting in many unsold products.
Meanwhile, Enix had a stronger background in traditional media publishing and found success in publishing numerous manga series through its anthologies. However, an internal clash between factions of authors and editors about the direction of the anthologies led to many staff leaving, damaging its comics publishing business.
It’s unclear whether these issues were part of the reason for the merger, but we can only speculate. Regardless, the merger remains one of the defining events in Japanese gaming history, and one can only imagine what would have happened if Square and Enix had not merged at that exact point in time.
Through the years, Square and Enix’s partnership has brought some of the most beloved RPG games to the masses. From Final Fantasy to Dragon Quest, their collaboration has paved the way for the genre to thrive and evolve. Today, we reflect on the 20-year anniversary of their union and celebrate the legacy they’ve left behind. With new games constantly being released and more projects in the works, we can only anticipate what Square Enix has in store for the future of RPG gaming. Here’s to a continued partnership and many more unforgettable adventures to come.
