It has been a banner year for Square Enix so far, and the long-tenured publisher has shown no signs of slowing down as we head into what will be a busy E3 season for the video game industry. Just a few days ago, Square Enix unveiled a brand new JRPG in Lost Sphear, developed by the company's off-shoot Tokyo RPG Factory. Now, Square Enix has announced that it will be entering a high-profile partnership with People Can Fly, the studio behind Bulletstorm, to create another new title in the coming years.
The partnership, which was announced in a press release from Square Enix earlier today, will be an external development relationship that will see both studios work on what was described as a "high-end original title for console and PC." Lee Singleton, Head of Studio at Square Enix London Studios, offered a perfunctory glimpse at what the partnership entails:
"We're building a game we all want to play which will be the perfect addition to our portfolio."
Naturally, that quote isn't much to go on, but the fact that Singleton is able to state that the two companies are building a game that will be a strong addition to Square's games lineup means the project already has a clear direction. Unfortunately, the press release also indicated that whatever Square Enix and People Can Fly's partnership will be producing won't be at E3 2017 this year, which strongly indicates the title is in the nascent phase of its development, if it has even begun at all.
The announcement today marks Square's second high-profile partnership announcement this year, after the company revealed Square and Marvel would be working together on a multi-game endeavor earlier this winter. While that partnership could still play into Square Enix's E3 2017 presence, even if it doesn't the company has given critics a strong sense of its direction with the two partnership announcements and continued focus on the JRPG genre elsewhere.
Whatever the deal between Square Enix and People Can Fly produces, however, it should be exciting if only because the pedigree of the latter strongly indicates it will be a game that is unlike most of the Square Enix games library currently. While too early to speculate on just which consoles the new title will be available for, gamers should keep in mind that Square Enix likes the Nintendo Switch, something that could influence where this fresh IP ends up in the future.