E3 Interview: Square Enix's Wada Says Acquisitions May Continue

Square Enix's acquisition of Eidos has worked out well thus far and makes for a stronger company -- and social networks may be its next target, president Yoichi Wada tells Gamasutra. Last year the company acquired UK-based Eidos, and this year it posted record results, bolstered in part by strong sales of the company's Batman: Arkham Asylum, on top of its home-grown hits Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy XIII. Of the merger, Wada tells us, "we were able to complete it in one year, and I am very satisfied with that." He puts that down to "creators being highly motivated" in the merged companies. 
 "We respect the culture of each other and try to co-exist with the different cultures, and through the interactions we generate something new," he says. "When we acquire another company, it's not just for the purpose of becoming bigger corporate entity. It's to bring in different blood. By mixing with something totally different, our intention is to become a stronger organization." The mergers are part of a plan he has been executing for the future of the company, based on his vision of industry trends. "Without a wider skill set and without the people with wider backgrounds, I felt that we would not be able to fight in this battleground," he says of the current market. On that note, he expects that social networking may be the place where Square Enix sets its sights for a new acquisition target. "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." However, given that Japan and the U.S. use very different social networking services, he does recognize that finding a solution may not be simple. "I believe that network community is very local. The newer the community, the more local it is, it seems. When we try to launch such services it would be important" to have a local appeal, he says. The full and extensive interview with Wada will appear on Gamasutra in the near future.