With all their recent moves involving expansion into casual markets and buyouts, one gets the feeling that Square-Enix has this little thing called world domination on the drawing board. Factor in that Square Enix Inc. has just announced a licensing agreement with Emergent Game Technologies for use of their Gamebryo engine on a yet-to-be-announced project, and you can see how their sphere of influence is ever widening.
Square is staying mum on the use of the Gamebryo engine, only saying that details on the project it is being used for will be released at a later time. If you’re generally curious about the company that created the engine, they will be at GDC this year, so stop by if you’re going. Use it well, Square — I could do without a repeat of The Last Remnant.
SQUARE ENIX AND EMERGENT GAME TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCE LICENSING AGREEMENT
LOS ANGELES and CALABASAS, Calif. – March 17, 2009 – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America (Square Enix), and Emergent™ Game Technologies (Emergent) have reached an agreement to license Emergent’s Gamebryo® game engine for a yet-to-be-announced project. This project is part of Square Enix’s efforts to grow its business further in all major global markets.Gamebryo will allow Square Enix’s creators to dedicate their time to innovative design, and immersive gameplay, rather than on technical issues. Designed to provide developers with the framework they need to quickly bring high-quality games to the market, Gamebryo’s flexible architecture will make it possible for Square Enix to easily add their internally-developed technology to the engine’s pipeline.
Gamebryo’s advanced Floodgate™ multi-core technology and targeted platform functionality is a major factor in Square Enix’s choice to license the software. “Gamebryo offers a flexible framework, allowing us to develop effectively and efficiently for any target platforms,” said John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix. “Gamebryo’s engine provides the ability to integrate our internally developed tools into a proven, stable tech solution which allows for more time to be spent on innovative and creative gameplay.”
Geoff Selzer, Emergent’s chief executive officer believes that Gamebryo’s is an ideal foundational technology for Square Enix’s initiatives. “Our approach is to provide the best engine technology to publishers and developers while backing the technology with AAA global support. It is the ultimate validation that the market is coming to understand that, in the future, the value of a developer will come from its ability to create original and immersive games rather than creating tech.”
The license agreement provides Square Enix access to Emergent technology worldwide.
Details on the project being developed using Gamebryo will be announced at a later time.
About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.
Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd., with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan’s best-selling franchises – FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 85 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 47 million units worldwide – under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.
Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California. It handles operations in North America, including development, localization, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com.
About Emergent
Emergent Game Technologies works with developers and the industry’s top middleware providers to create state-of-the-art software and services needed to rapidly move from prototype to final product. These proven, stand-alone solutions include the award-winning Gamebryo software platform. Emergent helps developers fulfill their maximum creative potential by giving them the power to endlessly – and efficiently – iterate development.
Emergent is headquartered in Calabasas, California, and has offices in Chapel Hill, NC; Austin, Texas; London; Tokyo; China and Korea. To learn more, visit www.emergent.net
About Emergent Products
Emergent Game Technology’s Gamebryo is used to create high-quality titles for PLAYSTATION 3 system, Xbox 360, PC and Wii. Publishers that have used Gamebryo in the past include: Disney, Google, Electronic Arts (EA), Take Two, Namco and THQ to name but a few. Gamebryo has been used as the core tech in high profile titles such as EA-Mythic’s Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and Firaxis’ Civilization Revolution. Gamebryo LightSpeed, the next leap forward in game development technology, offers game designers a cross-platform, cross-genre solution that has rapid prototyping, rapid iteration and real-time updates to simplify game technology creation and open the door to exciting gameplay possibilities.
To date, Gamebryo has been used in more than 250 shipped games titles from downloadable casual games to first-person shooters to massively multiplayer online games. Another 150 titles are currently in development.
Published: Mar 17, 2009 04:20 pm