Square Enix Brings Quantum of Solace To Japan

Tokyo-based Square Enix will release Activision's multiplatform James Bond shooter Quantum of Solace to Japan on March 26th. The title was shipped stateside for several platforms -- PlayStation 2 from developer Eurocom, Wii and PC from Beenox, and PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 from Treyarch -- in November 2008. A Nintendo DS version from Vicarious Visions was also released, but Square Enix revealed no plans to publish the handheld game. The Quantum of Solace film, from which the video game takes it name and plot, opened in Japan in late January. It set a box office record for the movie series in the region, bringing in $6.5 million in its first weekend -- compared to the previous record of $3.2 million by 2006’s Casino Royale, according to a report from entertainment news site Variety. While it might seem odd for Square Enix to localize a first- and third-person shooter for Japan, the announcement aligns with the publisher's frequently-stated interest in working more closely with Western companies and producing more Western oriented-products. Earlier this year, the company signed an exclusive agreement with Ubisoft to become the exclusive distributor for the French developer and publisher's games in Japan, starting April. Prior to that, Square Enix published British developer Frontier Developments’ LostWinds on WiiWare in Japan. And in late 2008, the company secured a publishing deal with Redmond-based Gas Powered Games to release forthcoming real-time strategy game Supreme Commander 2. Yoichi Wada, president and representative director of Square Enix, commented in January, "The global video game market is expected to maintain sustainable growth thanks to geographical expansion and diversification of customer base."