Animania 2010: Cosplay is a valuable resource for developers and publishers

Animania had its second Sydney leg this weekend, and walking around the exhibition, I was reminded of the raw marketing value of cosplay and value of having a strong merchandising policy - it's the kind of value marketing that few companies have fully latched on to.

In an age where social networking is king of marketing, fan-generated publicity such as cosplay is like gold.

Final Fantasy XIV to allow name transfers from XI

Square Enix appears to be firmly committed to supporting both of its Final Fantasy MMORPGs, announcing a new deal to those who subscribe to both.

Feature: The five smartest games businesses

Which businesses have been the most successful at building fan bases, moving with the rapidly-changing industry, and willing to take risks?

Opinion: Has Activision had a change of heart?

In the past, mega-publisher, Activision, has been accused of driving teams too hard and stifling creativity, but that seems to be changing.

Square Enix announces exclusive PSP multiplayer RPG

Square Enix has announced a new, exclusive game for the PSP.

Square Enix dismisses Nintendo's future?

It was already obvious, but Square Enix has formally announced it will throw its considerable weight behind online gaming experiences.

Space Invaders invades iPhone

Square Enix has continued its invasion of the iPhone with some new Space Invaders themed apps.

E3: Square Enix to publish online shooter

Square Enix is taking a break from its RPG staple and unveiled a new online shooter called Mindjack.

To be released on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Mindjack allows players to mentally ‘hack’ into enemies, vehicles or civilians to use them as tools in urban warfare.

The game will offer up a mix of futuristic weaponry and real fighting techniques such as Krav Maga. The game is being developed by Japanese house feelplus, and dure for release in October.

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.

Square Enix boosts iPhone catalogue with classics

Square Enix will add two games from its back catalogue to Apple's iPhone/ iPod touch App store.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a PSP remake of the 1997 Playstation original. It features a number of enhancements to the original, including a new and improved English translation. That game will be made available to a broader audience with both iPhone and iPod Touch platforms.

Additionally, the publisher will bring Super Nintendo classic Secret of Mana to the iPhone - the launching-pad for the much loved Mana action-RPG series.

Square Enix is one of the more prolific iPhone App publishers, amongst the big publishers in the industry. In recent months it has released exclusives to Apple's platform, and confirmed its support to the recent (and popular) iPad gadget.

Square Enix is also a textbook example that there is a genuine iPhone gaming market beyond the cheap and limited $0.99 minigame platform it's often considered to be. Square Enix iPhone releases are typically full-featured game at premium prices in excess of $10. Despite the competition from much cheaper game, releases from the publisher are typically best sellers.

Will Square Enix make further acquisitions?

An interesting titbit of news came the way of Gamasutra from Square Enix president, Yoichi Wada, courtesy of E3.

In the interview, Wada is quoted as saying: "of course I will always do it [pursue an acquisition] when the right opportunity arises. For example, new culture is needed. There is a need for social networking type services. When it comes to that, maybe the resources we have today may not be enough to address that market."

It's not the most surprising piece of news - last year another publishing giant, EA, also saw the need to capitalise on the massive market being created by vendors such as Zynga. To that end, it acquired Facebook rival, Playfish, for $US275 million.

Between the growing popularity of downloadable games, and the explosion of social networking games, there's entire new markets opening up to publishers, and acquisition is a relatively speedy way to develop competencies in new markets. Square Enix has already shown it's keen on developing its iPhone and download business, so it was only a matter of time before it looked to social networking.

It’s also no stranger to acquisitions. Last year, Square Enix acquired UK-based publisher, Eidos.

In the interview, Wada acknowledges there is a difference in US and Japanese social networking markets and this would be a challenge for the Japanese publisher, but it seems inevitable that we'll soon see some kind of Final Fantasy take on FarmVille.