Square Enix moving into Western RPGs

Square Enix is one of the dominant publishers of Japanese RPGs, but it appears that it is also keen on moving into Western RPGs.

Gamasutra reported that Square Enix is not only publishing Dungeon Siege 3, it owns the property outright. In the report, Obsidian CEO Feargus Urquhard, said that the previous owners of the IP, Gas Powered Games, was reviewing builds of the game, but not formally involved in the development.

Gas Powered Games and Square Enix has previously collaborated on Supreme Commander 2. Combined with the acquisition of Eidos in 2008 the Japanese publisher appears to be genuinely keen on expanding into more traditional Western gameplay styles.

It is also keen on making acquisitions, as previously reported. I would not be surprised to see some specialist development houses with Western RPG IPs snapped up over the coming years. It will be interesting to see what influence, if any, Square Enix makes on the Western RPG genre, which is traditionally very different from games like Final Fantasy.