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Square Discusses Financial Woes
Square

The only thing worse than having to answer to shareholders is having to answer to angry shareholders, but this is exactly the position in which Square has found itself at the moment. With an over-budget movie hitting theaters next week, and a company that lost money in the last fiscal year, you can bet that shareholders are looking for some answers. Video Senki has posted an interview with several Square top brass, in which they spill the beans on the company's recent financial downturn.

The upcoming motion picture, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within seems to be a bone of contention among stockholders. For the company's foray into the movie industry to be profitable, it needs to finish in the top 20 to 30 movies for the year in the US. The massive budget of over $112 million was justified by the fact that the technology developed to produce the film was used in production of Final Fantasy X as well. Representatives would not comment on whether there are plans for a sequel, but stated that if this were the case, then outsourcing of CG animation production would be a possibility.

On the game front, piracy in Asia is cause for concern, with the probability of online content delivery looming large. Square has recently enjoyed success in Taiwan and Korea, thanks in large part to the PC releases of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII, and sees this region as an important market for expansion.

Furthermore, while the possibility of future ports to the ailing PlayStation remains, no new games are planned for the console. Company officials also expressed their desire to create a brand that would surpass their flagship Final Fantasy franchise, though, with a predicted delivery date of March 2003 for Final Fantasy XII, fans have no need to fear the cancellation of their beloved dynasty, at least not any time soon. For the complete interview, head on over to Video Senki.


by Alex Wollenschlaeger    
Source: [Video Senki]
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