Square Enix Wants More Than RPGs

Ask any gamer what Square Enix is all about and you will hear: RPGs, Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest virtually 100% of the time.While brand-name recognition is seen as a positive factor in the business industry, it also has a downside to it as well. In the case of Square Enix, it has become a problem because they have been somewhat unable to successfully expand their product line outside of the RPG genre of games.Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix, summed up the company,s problem by saying to Nikkei Net, "We haven’t come up with hit software to follow in the footsteps of Final Fantasy and other major titles, so we will have to alter our strategy. It’s getting hard to maintain a flow of new game titles. We need a more comprehensive software business to develop synergies.”While Square Enix has reported a 14% increase in profits over the previous year, the company is worried about a downturn in sales for the future. Their narrow product line, which is exclusively in the RPG category, needs diversification. Previous attempts at breaking out of the mold with titles such as The Bouncer and Driving Emotion type-S met with only limited success.