It’s a good time to be a Nintendo Switch owner. Where the WiiU struggled to find a decent software library—and therefore a sizable player base—monumental first-party titles like Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild have kept consoles moving quickly since launch. Developers and publishers want in, and Square Enix seem to have found their niche.
In the company’s financial results briefing from November 8, President and Representative Director Yosuke Matsuda conducted Q&A designed to outline future development efforts by the studio. As previously reported by Gematsu, the company “recognizes [the] momentum” for the Switch, but this new release sheds further light on their exact plans for the system.
Asked about the potential of the Switch, Matsuda stated, “Nintendo Switch is seeing rapid uptake, and we welcome the arrival of such a platform. We intend to be proactive in our development efforts given that it’s a platform that is well suited to the mid-sized titles at which we excel.”
Historically, this has held true of the collaborations between Nintendo and Square Enix, especially as it relates to their lengthy resume of handheld titles. Final Fantasy Tactics, The World Ends With You, Dragon Quest, remakes of the SNES Final Fantasy titles, Kingdom Hearts, the Mana series, the recent Bravely Default, and the legendary Chrono Trigger have all graced Nintendo handhelds at some point, and the portability of the Switch lends itself well to games of this nature. They already have work on the system to prove it, with the demo for Project Octopath Traveler currently available on the eShop.
In regards to the allocation of development resources, the company notes, “In particular, Nintendo Switch makes it easier for us to leverage our back catalog of assets and expertise, so we want to be proactive in creating new IP and rebooting past titles for that platform.” While many will latch onto the “rebooting” aspect, which opens the door for remakes and remasters of all of those games mentioned above, it’s good to see Square Enix committed to bringing new IP to the system.
If the Switch continues to sell, companies will likely continue to throw their full weight behind it. Fortunately for Nintendo—and Switch owners—this includes Square, one of Nintendo’s oldest and most fruitful partners.