Peggle and Plants vs. Zombie maker PopCap has paired with Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest publisher Square Enix to craft Gyromancer, a new puzzle-RPG.

Coming to Xbox 360 as an Xbox Live Arcade download and PC via Steam, the game is said to feature PopCap's addictive color-matching puzzler Bejeweled Twist "at its core."

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"We've always enjoyed a strong partnership with PopCap Games and Gyromancer represents our goal of developing unique gaming experiences... Read more

When Bionic Commando and Terminator Salvation game developer GRIN closed earlier this month, the studio lamented that it had an "unreleased masterpiece that we weren't allowed to finish"--a title that now appears to have been a new Final Fantasy entry.

Various LinkedIn listings uncovered by superannuation indicate that GRIN was working with Final Fantasy owner Square Enix on a project codenamed "Fortress," with one ex-staffer noting his work at GRIN on an "unannounced Final Fantasy project."

Destructoid adds, via sources, that the project was an action game set in the Final Fantasy XII universe, and that Square owed GRIN "upwards of a few million dollars." In addition, former GRIN artist Tomislav Spajic posted some "Fortress" environments (above), which certainly bear a resemblance to some FF12 areas.

Square Enix, the newfound owner of Tomb Raider publisher Eidos, is to combine various aspects of the two companies into a streamlined outfit called "Square Enix Europe."

"Square Enix Europe (final name TBC) will include Eidos' global network of studios and combine the Square Enix and Eidos European sales and marketing businesses to create one efficient and powerful structure for game publishing," Square told MCV.

As for North America, "all marketing, sales and distribution functions will be transferred from Eidos Inc to Square Enix in this territory."

The shifts are expected to result in some layoffs, with Square "hoping to minimise this wherever possible and offer support and advice to any employees directly affected."

Thanks to crummynz for the tip.

Square Enix today announced that its long-awaited RPG Final Fantasy XIII will see a spring 2010 release in North America.

The title is expected to be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

In rolling out its E3 lineup, Square Enix has detailed two previously unannounced projects, including the rumored Front Mission Evolved. In development at Double Helix, Front Mission Evolved will take the mech-based strategy series into the realm of third-person shooting. The action game will feature both a singleplayer campaign and online multiplayer, and is set for release on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The company also introduced NIER, a project by Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles developer Cavia. An action adventure game, NIER will put players in the role of the titular protagonist, in his quest to save his daughter amongst a "crumbling world plagued by disease." The title is looking at a 2010 release on Xbox 360 and PS3.

With Square Enix's $120 million purchase of Eidos now complete, lifetime sales figures of their major franchises have been revealed.

The information was provided as part of Square Enix's "Corporate Strategy Meeting," during which the company discussed "synergies" and presented materials on the "Eidos Integration."

Square Enix
• Final Fantasy franchise > 85 million units
• Dragon Quest franchise > 47 million units
• Kingdom Hearts franchise > 12 million units
Eidos
• Tomb Raider franchise > 30 million units
• Hitman franchise > 8 million units

Details on the sales of other Eidos-owned franchises, including Kane & Lynch (around 1.75 million units) and Deus Ex (over 2 million units), were also provided in bar graph form, along with individual figures for the various iterations of Hitman and Tomb Raider.

Square Enix continues its foray into publishing Western games with the announcement that it will publish Order of War, a new World War 2 real-time strategy game for PC.

Players will take command of up to 1,000 troops, tanks, artillery and aircraft in vast battles based upon key historic events and operations from 1944 on both fronts--as Americans versus Germans on the West, and Germans against Russians on the East.

Square Enix seems to have taken a shine to Western RTSs, as it announced last year it would be publishing Gas Powered Games' upcoming Supreme Commander 2.

Developed by Wargaming.net--handily also its website--Order of War is due this fall.

The Wii will soon see a total of four more Final Fantasy releases from Square Enix, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata just revealed in his Game Developers Conference keynote.

The Final Fantasy IV sequel "The After Year"s and Final Fantasy Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord will arrive as downloadable WiiWare games, while the Virtual Console will stock Final Fantasy I (NES) and Final Fantasy IV (SNES). All are due this year.

In a separate press release, Square Enix further noted that other classic Final Fantasy entries are also bound for the Virtual Console, but no timeline was provided.

Titles from Final Fantasy series developer Square Enix will soon begin appearing on Valve's PC digital distribution platform Steam, the two companies announced today.

Coming April 9, the PC version of The Last Remnant will be Square's first Steam release, and will also integrate Steamworks for as-yet-unspecified functionality. The action-RPG arrived on Xbox 360 last fall, with a PlayStation 3 release due later on.

The announcement added that Square will "continue to add to its roster of games on Steam" in North America and Europe, but did not specify any other titles or pricing. Supreme Commander 2, which Square is publishing, represents a likely candidate.

"Square Enix is committed to delivering the best quality titles to PC gamers and distribution on Steam is one of the many steps we are taking to increase accessibility for fans in North America and PAL territories," said Square Enix CEO John Yamamoto.

Following the decision to postpone the Japanese debut of Dragon Quest IX (DS), Square Enix now says this might impact the long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, 360).

"There is a possibility that [the] Dragon Quest IX delay could effect Final Fantasy XIII," said Square head Yoichi Wada, as reported by IT Media and translated by Kotaku.

Shifting Dragon Quest IX from March to July left Square Enix without a major release for the rest of its fiscal year, which ends on March 31. The delay was one of the reasons the company yesterday lowered its profit forecast for the fiscal year by nearly 63%.

At last official word, Final Fantasy XIII was slated to hit Japan this year in PlayStation 3 form, with North America and Europe seeing Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the anticipated role-playing game no earlier than April 2010.

Japanese publisher Square Enix today updated its financial forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, cutting profit expectations by 62.5%.

The company now expects to see a net profit of $49.6 million, instead of the previously anticipated $132.4 million. Last year, the company posted a $101.4 million profit.

Net sales expectations were only slashed by 16.9%, to $1.5 billion.

In addition, Square confirmed that the Japanese debut of Dragon Quest IX (DS) has been delayed until July 11. The oft-delayed role-playing game was previously expected on March 28, with the push stemming from the discovery of several major bugs.

Square cited the delay of Dragon Quest IX and "the severe business environment" afflicting its offline games and Taito divisions as the impetus behind the cuts. Fellow Japanese publishers Capcom and Sega recently cut expectations due to lower software sales and the exchange rate of the weak dollar to the stronger yen.

No North American release date for Dragon Quest IX has been announced.

Confirming recent rumors, Japanese publisher and Final Fantasy series developer Square Enix today made an offer to buy Eidos for 84.3 million pounds, or $120 million.

The overall company, which recently changed its name from SCi to that of its well-known publisher subsidiary Eidos, has long been the subject of frequent takeover rumors due to ever-worsening financial conditions. It owners numerous development studios and properties, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Carmageddon, Hitman, and Kane & Lynch.

"Eidos' products are highly complementary to our business and will accelerate our aggressive expansion into Western markets," said Square Enix president Yoichi Wada.

Before moving forward, Eidos will need a majority of its shareholders to approve of the acquisition, with a meeting scheduled for March. Square noted that all of Eidos' directors "intend unanimously to recommend" that shareholders take the offer.

According to Square, its offer represents a 129% premium over the worth of Eidos' stock, as of yesterday, February 11, 2009.

Square Enix has confirmed the inevitable North American release of Dissidia Final Fantasy, a PSP brawler that features characters from a variety of Final Fantasy games.

The game will hit North America in "mid-year 2009," and packs major characters from the first Final Fantasy through Final Fantasy XII, including Final Fantasy VI's Terra and Final Fantasy X's Tidus, as well as Final Fantasy VII's Cloud and Sephiroth.

To explain the appearance of the various protagonists and villains, the game's story sees the eternal balance between rival gods Cosmos and Chaos broken, requiring Cosmos to recruit heroes in an attempt to save the universe from Chaos' villains.

First announced in May 2007, Dissidia was released today in Japan.

With Square Enix putting the final touches on the ninth numbered entry in its famed Dragon Quest role-playing series, the company has formally announced that the next entry, Dragon Quest X, is in development for the Wii.

The franchise, which kicked off on the Nintendo Entertainment system, has seen new numbered releases hit a variety of Sony and Nintendo platforms, including the Super Nintendo, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. An action-centric off-shoot, Dragon Quest Swords, came to Wii earlier this year in North America.

Following the PlayStation 2 release of Dragon Quest VIII, Sqaure Enix shocked many by announcing that Dragon Quest IX was being developed for the Nintendo DS, marking the first numbered Dragon Quest game to debut on a portable.

Dragon Quest IX will hit Japan on March 28, Reuters reports, with a North American release expected to follow later in the year. It was not said when X can be expected.

Japanese publisher Square Enix has reportedly expressed interest in purchasing ailing British publisher Eidos, according to MCV and its anonymous source.

Square, which recently noted its intent to expand in the European and North American markets, joins the three other long-rumored suitors: Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Of the four, Warner Bros has an advantage as it already owns 20% of Eidos.

The company, which recently changed its name from SCi to that of well-known subsidiary Eidos, has long been the subject of frequent takeover rumors. Its properties include Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Carmageddon, Hitman, and Kane & Lynch.

Across the past year, Eidos has lost $177 million and its stock has dropped by 90%, making the company an even bigger acquisition target than it was when talks began last year. Eidos later rejected a buyout offer in April 2008 from an unknown suitor.

As Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories (PS2) heads off to North American retailers today, publisher Square Enix has confirmed that the upcoming Nintendo DS entry, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, will eventually arrive in North America as well.

Initially revealed alongside the PSP entry, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, 358/2 Days is set before the events of Kingdom Hearts II (PS2). It follows Roxas, a protagonist introduced in the sequel, during his days with the mysterious Organization XII.

Keeping with series tradition, these adventures will let players explore Disney locales and interact with various Disney characters. However, these... Read more

The new Los Angeles studio of Japanese publisher Square Enix will start by focusing its efforts on downloadable games, according to Square Enix US president John Yamamoto.

"We started the in-house development team a couple of months ago and we're starting with downloadable content because the team is still small," Yamamoto told GamesIndustry. "All formats--Xbox Live, WiiWare, PlayStation Network--are all viable formats for us," he added.

The Los Angeles development team is very small, with "a skeleton crew of only three members." The publisher reportedly wants to boost that team up to 30 inside the next year.

Square Enix's newest studio will also be charged with researching middleware following the commercial and critical success of The Last Remnant... Read more

Final Fantasy developer Square Enix has revealed by way of its North American website that it is at work on an action game that will be developed at a studio in Los Angeles.

"Square Enix is building a studio from the ground up. We are making an action-oriented original IP game here in sunny Los Angeles," reads the Square Enix Careers page which was spotted by Destructoid.

In all, Square Enix is hiring programmers, project managers, marketers, and testers for the Los Angeles office. The Senior Software Engineer position seeks those with Xbox 360 experience, hinting that the game could be headed to Microsoft's platform.

Square's move onto American shores is the latest in a trend of Japanese publishers following the lead of the West. Game designers like PlatinumGames boss Atushi Inaba find that Japan "needs to be more creative," while publisher Capcom sees more of its profits coming from the Western world.

At the same time, major American publishers like Electronic Arts are reaching across the ocean to try to interact with top Japanese talent.

Square Enix today announced that it will publish Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander 2, a sequel to the 2007 real-time strategy game.

No other details about the game, including platforms or release dates, were announced, just that these would be available "at a later time."

Square Enix did note this deal would be the first of several new publishing deals, with the company looking to expand its western development portfolio. Traditionally, the Square Enix group has only worked with other Japanese companies.

"We see great opportunities in European and North American markets, both of which are expected to be maintaining sustainable growth over these coming years," said Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix Co., Ltd. "Therefore, it is crucial we create alliances with proven developers such as Gas Powered Games in order to serve these significant markets better by providing products and services in tune with customer tastes."

Adding to the previously announced March 3, 2009 release date for tri-Ace's Xbox 360 sci-fi action-RPG Star Ocean: The Last Hope, publisher Square Enix today issued a list of the games it plans to release during the first quarter of 2009:

• Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP) - January 6
• Dragon Quest V (DS) - February 17
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360) - March 3
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS) - March 17

For more details on the games and official descriptions, check below... Read more