Square Enix Signs Up On Steam, Debuts The Last Remnant

Publisher Square Enix said it will support Valve's PC digital delivery platform Steam in North America and Europe, beginning with its roleplaying game The Last Remnant. First released for Xbox 360 last November, the game is set for a Steam release on April 9; no PC retail release was explicitly confirmed. Square has opened a site featuring a PC demo and a benchmarking tool, as well as a summary of changes made from the Xbox 360 version of The Last Remnant. Today's statement made numerous references to Square publishing further titles through Steam, but no specific games were mentioned. Valve's business director Jason Holtman suggestively congratulated the company on bringing "its diverse portfolio of titles to Steam." Despite the vagueness, it seems likely that the titles covered under the alliance with PC-oriented studio Gas Powered Games, including the forthcoming Supreme Commander 2 will be sold through Steam. Over the past two years, Square Enix has repeatedly stated its intent to more aggressively target the Western market, as well as the PC platform. It plans to acquire publisher Eidos, pending shareholder approval. "We are excited to offer the millions of Steam customers online access to Square Enix titles," said John Yamamoto, president and CEO of the publisher's North American operation. "Square Enix is committed to delivering the best quality titles to PC gamers and distribution on Steam is one of the many steps we are taking to increase accessibility for fans in North America and PAL territories." In a minor historical coincidence, Eidos was involved in the PC ports of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. There has been frequent speculation as to whether the long-delayed Final Fantasy XIII will show up on PC, following Square's statements last year that it now works with PC-based multiplatform development, but the company has not made any statements on the matter.