John Yamamoto has recently declared that Square Enix platform exclusives are no more, after opening a new Los Angeles studio to pursue global and particularly western goals.

The first project from the studio will be action-oriented, with XBLA, WiiWare and PSN all “viable platforms”.

Yamamoto also argued that global tactics like offering Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360 in Europe and North America, are tricks routinely missed out by other Japanese companies.

Below are some quotes from John Yamamoto during the opening of the Los Angeles development studio.

Not so long ago the PS2 dominated the market so if we developed an exclusive game for PS2 then we could enjoy a very good profit. But that time is already over…

To maximise and spread our games to as many users as possible I think we have to go to multiformat - the Xbox 360, PS3 and also the PC as well…

The Japanese market is very strong and back when we could concentrate on developing games for just one console, business was very good. But the one-console market is over…

I wouldn’t make a generalisation about all Japanese developers, clearly, some have had continual success worldwide. However, I do feel that there is a tendency for Japanese developers to focus too heavily on the domestic market…

With increased competition from overseas developers, Japanese companies must recognise the need to appeal to a broader audience…

Source: Games Industry

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