Next-gen has reshaped market - Square Enix

Square Enix says that the leap to the latest generation of gaming platforms has dramatically altered the way the market works.

"Up to PlayStation 2, all consoles had roughly the same concept of how to enjoy the gaming experience. With next-gen, each has different features and is targeted at a different audience," vice president of software development Hiromichi Tanaka told GamesIndustry.biz.

"So, we have to make different titles for different platforms, depending on what sort of game we want to make and what the users will be expecting; we can choose which platform we want to go for."

"This is completely different from the old games industry," he added.

"Also we now have [Windows] Vista and the Nintendo DS, so it's not only those three next-gen platforms but a whole variety of different platforms. It's hard having this variety but it also gives us lots of opportunities."

Meanwhile, global online producer Saga Sundi suggested that MMO title Final Fantasy XI - which he believes hasn't felt too much impact from the dominance of World of Warcraft - might see another expansion pack.

"We're working together with our community and with the users, so we're very flexible," Sundi explained. "If they all ask for expansion packs, then we might consider more expansion packs - it really depends on how it goes with our users."

So, if that's what you're after, get scribbling - and don't forget to hit GamesIndustry.biz for the full Square Enix interview.