Square, Namco, and Enix discuss online initiative

Japanese publishers SquareSoft, Namco, and Enix held a press conference today to reveal specific details behind their financial tie-up, which was first discussed in April. In a bid to cut into the high development costs of next-generation consoles, the three megapublishers will work together to create online games and collaborate in distribution efforts. Additionally, by year's end, the three firms will jointly subsidize a dedicated company to manage the operations of SquareSoft's PlayOnline network gaming service. Namco and Enix will also develop new online game content for PlayOnline. Specific game titles were not discussed, but Enix president Keiji Honda did say that an online version of its popular Dragon Quest RPG series is a possibility.

Additional investments in the joint venture are welcome, according to executives from the three firms. According to a Reuter's report, Sony Computer Entertainment and NTT Communications are already poised to provide backing for the project. GameSpot will have more on the online tie-up between SquareSoft, Namco, and Enix in the coming weeks.