Square Enix facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

Global headquarters in Shinjuku, Tokyo
Native name	株式会社スクウェア・エニックス・ホールディングス
Romanized name	Kabushiki-gaisha Sukuwea Enikkusu Hōrudingusu (K.K. Square Enix Holdings)
Formerly	Square Enix Co., Ltd. (2003–2008)
Type	Public
Traded as	TYO: 9684
Industry	Entertainment
Predecessors	Enix Corporation Square Co., Ltd.
Founded	April 1, 2003; 22 years ago (2003-04-01)
Headquarters	Shinjuku Eastside Square, Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo , Japan
Key people	Yasuhiro Fukushima (honorary chairman) Takashi Kiryu (president) Yoshinori Kitase (director)
Products	Arcade facilities Manga Merchandise Video games Publishing
Revenue	¥365,3 billion (2022)
Net income	¥26.94 billion (2021)
Owner	Yasuhiro Fukushima (19.80%)
Number of employees	4,604 (2025/03)
Subsidiaries	§ Subsidiaries

Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. is a big Japanese company that makes video games and other entertainment. It's known for popular role-playing game series like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts.

Besides video games, Square Enix also sells cool merchandise, runs arcade facilities, and publishes manga comics under its Gangan Comics brand. The company was formed in April 2003 when two game companies, Square and Enix, joined together.

Square Enix has offices in different parts of the world, including Los Angeles, Beijing, Paris, Hamburg, and London. Many of their game series have sold millions of copies. For example, Final Fantasy has sold over 173 million copies, Dragon Quest over 85 million, and Kingdom Hearts over 36 million. The company also owns Taito, which makes arcade games like Space Invaders.

The Story of Square Enix

How It All Started: Enix and Square

Enix's Journey (1975–2003)

Enix was founded in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima. This company focused on publishing games made by other developers. In the 1980s, Enix teamed up with developers like Chunsoft to create the Dragon Quest series.

The first Dragon Warrior game came out in 1986. It sold 1.5 million copies in Japan and became a huge hit for Enix. Even though their rival, Square, decided to make games only for PlayStation, Enix chose to make games for both Nintendo and Sony consoles.

Square's Journey (1983–2003)

Square started in 1983 as a computer game part of a power line company. The founder, Masafumi Miyamoto, believed that game development would be better if graphic designers, programmers, and writers worked together.

In 1986, Square became its own company. After some games that weren't very successful, they created a role-playing video game called Final Fantasy in 1987. This game was inspired by Enix's Dragon Quest. Final Fantasy sold over 400,000 copies and became Square's most important series, with many games still being made today.

Square also made other famous games like Chrono, Mana, and Kingdom Hearts (with The Walt Disney Company). By 1994, they were known for making high-quality role-playing games. Square decided to make games for the Sony PlayStation because it was cheaper than making games for the Nintendo 64. Final Fantasy VII was one of these games, and it sold 9.8 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling games on PlayStation.

The Big Merger (2003)

Square and Enix had thought about joining forces since 2000. Square had some financial troubles after its movie, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, didn't do well in 2001. But after the success of Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts, Square's finances improved.

On November 25, 2002, Square and Enix announced they would officially merge. The goal was to lower development costs and compete better with other game companies around the world. The merger happened on April 1, 2003, creating Square Enix. Most of the staff at the new company were from Square. Yoichi Wada, who was the president of Square, became the president of Square Enix.

Growing Bigger: Acquisitions and Changes (2003–Present)

After the merger, Square Enix continued to grow. In 2005, they bought Taito, a famous company known for arcade games like Space Invaders. In 2009, Square Enix also bought Eidos plc, a British game publisher known for series like Tomb Raider, Hitman, and Deus Ex. This helped Square Enix become even bigger in Europe and North America.

In 2013, Square Enix went through some big changes because some of their major games weren't selling as well as expected. The company's president, Yoichi Wada, stepped down, and Yosuke Matsuda took over. They decided to focus more on their main audience and make games that would appeal to them.

Since then, Square Enix has continued to develop popular games. They also started a new studio called Tokyo RPG Factory to create classic-style role-playing games. In 2017, the Hitman series became independent from Square Enix.

In 2022, Square Enix sold some of its Western studios, like Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal, and game series such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, to another company called Embracer Group. This sale helped Square Enix focus more on its main game business and explore new technologies like blockchain. In 2023, Takashi Kiryu became the new president of Square Enix.

In 2024, Square Enix announced they would be more careful about which games they develop. They decided to cancel some unannounced games to focus on their most important titles, like the third part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake.

How Square Enix Works

Game Development Teams

Square Enix organizes its game development into different teams called Creative Business Units. Each unit focuses on certain game series or types of games.

• Creative Business Unit I works on main Final Fantasy games, SaGa, and Kingdom Hearts.
• Creative Business Unit II focuses on Dragon Quest, Nier, Octopath Traveler, and Bravely series, plus arcade games.
• Creative Studio III mainly develops MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV, and also single-player games like Final Fantasy XVI.
• Creative Business Unit IV handles the Mana series and helps with remasters and mobile games.
• Creative Business Unit V works on mobile games like Million Arthur and Schoolgirl Strikers.

Many games are made with the help of other game development companies. Square Enix teams oversee these projects, creating the ideas and guiding the development.

Making Games for Everyone

Square Enix likes to develop its game series for many different types of media. This means a popular game might also become a manga, an anime, or even a movie. For example, the Fullmetal Alchemist manga became two anime TV shows, movies, and video games. This way, they can reach more fans.

When designing games, Square Enix usually starts with the story, characters, and art. Then they create the battle systems, maps, and cutscenes. This method has been used since the success of Final Fantasy VII.

What Square Enix Does

Video Games and Popular Series

Square Enix is most famous for its video games, especially role-playing games.

• The Final Fantasy series, which started in 1987, has sold over 173 million copies worldwide.
• The Dragon Quest series, from 1986, is very popular in Japan, with over 85 million copies sold.
• The Kingdom Hearts series, which began in 2002 with Disney, has shipped 36 million units.
• Other popular series include SaGa, Mana, and Chrono.

Square Enix games often get great reviews. Many of their games have been listed among the "Top 100 Games Ever" by Famitsu magazine.

The company makes games for many different systems, including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and handheld consoles like Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. They also make games for computers and smartphones.

After buying Eidos in 2009, Square Enix Europe was created. This branch publishes games like Tomb Raider (88 million sales), Deus Ex (4 million), and Thief.

Some of the game series owned by Square Enix include:

• Mana (from former Square)
• Star Ocean (from former Enix)
• Drakengard (created by Square Enix)
• Space Invaders (from Taito)
• Ogre (from Quest)
• Just Cause (kept from former Eidos Interactive)
• Life Is Strange (created by Square Enix Europe)

Game Engines

A game engine is like a set of tools that helps developers build video games. Square Enix has created its own game engines, like Crystal Tools and Luminous Engine, to make their games. These engines help them create amazing graphics and gameplay.

They also use engines from other companies, such as Unreal Engine 4 for games like Dragon Quest XI and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Unity for titles like I Am Setsuna.

Online Gaming

Square Enix has been involved in online games for a long time. They released Final Fantasy XI in 2002, which was a very successful MMORPG (a game where many players play together online). This game was even released on the Xbox 360.

They also developed Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest X, which are also MMORPGs. Square Enix has also made browser games and games for social media platforms.

Cloud Gaming

Cloud gaming lets you play games over the internet without needing to download them. Square Enix has explored this technology, allowing players to stream games to their phones or other devices.

Arcade Fun

Since buying Taito, Square Enix also runs arcade facilities in Japan. They have a system called NESiCAxLive that lets arcades get new games through the internet. They continue to make arcade-only games for their fans in Japan. In 2019, they even announced a "Ninja Tower Tokyo" theme park!

Books and Comics

Square Enix has a division called Gangan Comics that publishes manga comics in Japan. Some of their popular manga titles include Fullmetal Alchemist and Soul Eater. They also publish manga based on their video games, like Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts. Some of these manga have even been turned into anime shows.

Cool Merchandise

Square Enix creates lots of merchandise for their game series. You can find items featuring popular characters like the Chocobo from Final Fantasy or the Slime from Dragon Quest. This includes plush toys, game controllers, figurines, and even coffee mugs! They also have "Square Enix Cafe" shops in Japan and China where fans can buy merchandise and enjoy themed food.

Companies Under Square Enix

Square Enix Holdings is a "holding company," which means it owns many other companies. Here are some of the main ones:

See also

In Spanish: Square Enix para niños