It’s take two for Square US development operations as the Japanese RPG giant seeks out fresh talent for a brand-new, LA-based studio.
If Western-looking titles such as The Last Remnant weren’t enough to convince you that the Japanese behemoth of Square-Enix were serious about expanding its audience to North America and Europe, perhaps a look at its careers page will. Gamasutra is reporting that Square-Enix is preparing to open up a brand-new development studio in the El Segundo region of Los Angeles, California.
The career listings call for a wide variety of applicants from 360 software engineers, 3D artists and those with Wii development experience. The team, according to Gamasutra, will be working on an as-of-yet unnamed action title based on an original property.
This isn’t Square’s first attempt at a development foothold in the US. In 1995 its Los Angeles-based team turned out Secret of Evermore for the SNES to average reviews and commercial failure, though it has since become a cult favorite. Three years later, in 1998, Square struck a publishing deal with Electronic Arts that only lasted for five years, but did wonders in establishing Square’s presence here in North America. Since then, Square’s biggest power play for the Western market has been the revelation that Final Fantasy XIII will find its way to not only the PlayStation 3, but the Xbox 360 as well. With Japanese developers noticing the writing on the wall for singular region development, Square-Enix is hoping to lead the trend bringing Japanese gaming to a truly worldwide audience.
