Business Spotlight: Square Enix Holdings Part 1

印刷用画面を開く

Posted

Category: Business

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. brochure / broʊˈʃʊər / (n) – a thin book or magazine containing pictures and information about a product or service
    Example:

    An employee is handing out brochures outside the store.


  2. subsidiary / səbˈsɪd iˌɛr i / (n) – a company owned by another, often larger, company
    Example:

    The company has several subsidiaries overseas.


  3. power line / ˈpaʊ ər laɪn / (n) – a cable that carries electrical power
    Example:

    We lost electricity for a few hours because a crane operator accidentally hit a power line.


  4. the turn of the century / ðə tɜrn əv ðə ˈsɛn tʃə ri / (idiom) – the end of one century and the beginning of another
    Example:

    My great-grandmother was born at the turn of the century, and she saw the world change so much throughout her life.


  5. stay afloat / steɪ əˈfloʊt / (idiom) – to have enough money to pay debts and continue operations
    Example:

    The company managed to stay afloat during the pandemic.


Article

Read the text below.

Many people’s first contact with Japan is through video games, and many of those games were released by Square Enix Holdings Co. Ltd., the creator of successful franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. There’s no denying Square Enix’s impact.


Square Enix began as two companies: Square and Enix. Enix, the first of the two, began in 1975 publishing brochures of real estate listings. In 1982, it held a game programming contest. Several winners of the contest became Enix’s first video games.


Enix’s game department grew rapidly, particularly due to the roleplaying game series Dragon Quest. During this time, Enix outsourced much of its game production. It also founded several other subsidiaries, including Gangan Comics.


Square began in 1983 as a division of a power line construction company. After several PC games, it became an independent company in 1986. Unlike Enix, Square produced many of its own games. Square’s Final Fantasy series is hugely popular, and includes Final Fantasy VII, the second-best-selling PlayStation game of all time.


At the turn of the century, Square and Enix were rivals but there was already talk of a merger. Nonetheless, Enix was reluctant. Square had suffered game delays and its 2001 computer-animated movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was a financial failure. To help it stay afloat, Square asked for money from Sony, which bought 18.6% of the company. (Jasmin Hayward)


To be continued…


This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Why do you think games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are so popular? Discuss.
  • Do you think it’s fair to say that Square Enix has been the most influential video game company of all time, or have others had more impact (ex. Nintendo, Sony)? Why? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Enix started out publishing brochures of real estate listings, while Square began as a division of a power line construction company. Do their origins surprise you? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Enix originally outsourced most of its game production, while Square produced many of its own games. In your opinion, is it better to outsource content, or should it be mainly created in-house? Why? Discuss.