Enix
Encyclopedia
The was a Japan
ese company that produced video games, anime
and manga
. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima
on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982. The name is a play on the words "phoenix
", a mythical bird that is reborn from its own ashes, and "ENIAC
", the world's first digital computer.
Enix is perhaps best known for publishing the Dragon Quest
series of role-playing video game
s. The company merged with Square
in 2003 to become Square Enix
.
-turned-entrepreneur
Yasuhiro Fukushima
. The company initially published tabloids that advertised real estate
. After a failed attempt to go nationwide in 1982, the newly renamed Enix began its foray into the gaming market by holding a personal computer
game programming contest. One of the winners was Love Match Tennis, created by Yuji Horii
. It would go to become one of the company's first PC releases. Another winner was the puzzle game Door Door
by Koichi Nakamura
, which would become one of the company's better known home computer titles. The game was subsequently ported to the Nintendo
Family Computer
, but never saw any form of release outside of Japan. Nakamura would stay onboard as one Enix's key programmers.
Over the next few years, Enix published several video games for various Japanese home computer systems. Rather than developing games within its own company, Enix would continue to outsource the production of its games to other developers through the use of royalties
. Enix is perhaps most famous for publishing the Dragon Quest
series of console games (released as Dragon Warrior in North America
until 2005) developed by Chunsoft
. Key members of the developer's staff consisted of director Koichi Nakamura, writer Yuuji Horii, artist Akira Toriyama
, and composer Koichi Sugiyama
, among others. The first game
in the Famicom-based RPG series was released in 1986, and would eventually sell 1.5 million copies in Japan, establishing Dragon Quest as the company's most profitable franchise.
In 1991, Enix registered its stock with the Japan Securities Dealers Association, later known as JASDAQ
. Enix soon began publishing manga
from its shonen magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan. The company established ties with more video game developer
s and would go on to publish several games for fourth
, fifth
, and sixth generation
game consoles. Despite the announcement that Enix's long-time competitor Square Co., Ltd.
would develop exclusively for Sony
PlayStation
, Enix announced in January 1997 that it would release games for both Nintendo and Sony consoles. This caused a significant rise in stock for both Enix and Sony. By November 1999, Enix was listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange
's 1st section, indicating it as a "large company."
in online
ventures to deal with mounting development costs. That same month, Enix invested in the company Game Arts
, acquiring ¥99.2 million worth of stock shares in order to publish the latter's Grandia series. Despite Enix's marketing of Dragon Quest VII
in 1999, the game was delayed numerous times and not released until 2000. As a result the game didn't (as had been expected) contribute to the fiscal year 1999, cutting the company's previous profit-to-sales ratio in half and causing its stock value to drop by 40% in early 2000. Enix was further hurt by a delay of Dragon Quest Monsters 2
in Japan in 2001, dropping its first-half 2001 fiscal year profit by 89.71%.
Enix's competitor Square also suffered financially in 2001, mainly from the box office failure of its feature film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
. This made Enix hesitant to join with the company. However, it was announced on November 26, 2002 that the two companies would merge
the following year in order to mutually decrease development costs and to compete with foreign developers. The merge was delayed until April 1 2003, when the new merged entity Square Enix
came into being. The merger between Enix and Square had apparently been considered since at least 2000.
. As of April 2008, it is funded by 20 gaming corporations, including Square Enix.
Square Enix Webstar Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was a company formed between Enix and Mauritius Webstar Inc. in 2001 to develop online and mobile phone games in China and, later, other parts of Asia. One of the products includes the MMORPG Cross Gate. The subsidiary was carried over after the merger between Square and Enix, but was dissolved in 2005 after the establishment of Square Enix China.
localization subsidiary. It was organized after the release of Dragon Warrior by Nintendo of America
in 1989. The subsidiary came into existence in 1990, but closed in November 1995 when the parent company decided to no longer release products in North America due to poor sales. One of the games they published, King Arthur & the Knights of Justice
, was Enix's first and only North America exclusive game.
Enix America, Inc., Enix's last American localization subsidiary, was organized in 1999 after the release of Dragon Warrior Monsters
through a joint venture with Eidos
. Paul Handelman, who was part of Enix America Corporation's staff, returned to lead Enix America, Inc. as President. The corporation was in existence until 2003, ceasing to exist after the merger with Square Co., Ltd.
, MSX
, Sharp X68000
, and FM-7
. Beginning on the Famicom, Enix published the very successful Dragon Quest
series, which, after the formation of Square Enix, had already sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Although the first few titles were developed by Chunsoft, other companies would also develop main installments, spin-offs, and remakes for the series including Heartbeat
, ArtePiazza
, and TOSE
. The Dragon Quest franchise would carry over as one of Square Enix's most important assets. Other notable franchises published by Enix include the acclaimed Star Ocean
and Valkyrie Profile
series by tri-Ace
, both of which would also continue with Square Enix. The company Quintet developed several role-playing games for Enix such as ActRaiser
, Robotrek
, Soul Blazer
, Illusion of Gaia
, and Terranigma
for the Super Nintendo
.
in 1991 in its own Gangan Comics publications, which originally consisted of Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Gangan Wing, and Monthly GFantasy.
, Kanagawa Prefecture
to handle a fingerprint identification systems operation. Enix took a 68% stake in 200 million yen capitalization. The subsidiary was expected to post a pretax profit of 12 million yen on sales of 135 million yen in the first five months of operation. In September 2002, Enix entered a joint venture with Waseda University
to distribute broadband sports content. The subsidiary, Sports BB, was owned 80% by Enix and 20% by the college.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company that produced video games, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima
Yasuhiro Fukushima
is the founder of Japanese video game software giant Enix and largest shareholder of the company's successor, Square Enix following Enix's merger with Square Co., Ltd...
on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982. The name is a play on the words "phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
", a mythical bird that is reborn from its own ashes, and "ENIAC
ENIAC
ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic computer. It was a Turing-complete digital computer capable of being reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems....
", the world's first digital computer.
Enix is perhaps best known for publishing the Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
series of role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s. The company merged with Square
Square (company)
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
in 2003 to become Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
.
History
Enix was founded on September 22, 1975 as Eidansha Boshu Service Center by Japanese architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
-turned-entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
Yasuhiro Fukushima
Yasuhiro Fukushima
is the founder of Japanese video game software giant Enix and largest shareholder of the company's successor, Square Enix following Enix's merger with Square Co., Ltd...
. The company initially published tabloids that advertised real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
. After a failed attempt to go nationwide in 1982, the newly renamed Enix began its foray into the gaming market by holding a personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
game programming contest. One of the winners was Love Match Tennis, created by Yuji Horii
Yuji Horii
is a Japanese video game designer and scenario writer best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest series of console role-playing games, as well as the visual novel adventure game Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken.-History:Dragon Quest is recognized as the first role-playing game to posit the idea...
. It would go to become one of the company's first PC releases. Another winner was the puzzle game Door Door
Door Door
is a Japanese-developed puzzle-platformer video game designed by Koichi Nakamura and published by Enix. As Enix's debut title, Door Door first released in February 1983 for the NEC PC-8801 and was subsequently converted for other Japanese computers. The game's success prompted a Famicom port and an...
by Koichi Nakamura
Koichi Nakamura
is a Japanese video game designer. A programming prodigy, Nakamura gained fame while still in high school; in 1982 he entered Enix's national programming contest and claimed first place with his entry, Door Door...
, which would become one of the company's better known home computer titles. The game was subsequently ported to the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Family Computer
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, but never saw any form of release outside of Japan. Nakamura would stay onboard as one Enix's key programmers.
Over the next few years, Enix published several video games for various Japanese home computer systems. Rather than developing games within its own company, Enix would continue to outsource the production of its games to other developers through the use of royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
. Enix is perhaps most famous for publishing the Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
series of console games (released as Dragon Warrior in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
until 2005) developed by Chunsoft
Chunsoft
is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
. Key members of the developer's staff consisted of director Koichi Nakamura, writer Yuuji Horii, artist Akira Toriyama
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and game artist known mostly for his creation of Dragon Ball in 1984. Toriyama admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art...
, and composer Koichi Sugiyama
Koichi Sugiyama
is a Japanese music composer, council member of JASRAC , and honorary chairman of the Japanese Backgammon Society...
, among others. The first game
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior, known as in Japan, is the first role-playing video game in the Dragon Quest media franchise. It was developed by Chunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System and published by Enix in Japan in 1986...
in the Famicom-based RPG series was released in 1986, and would eventually sell 1.5 million copies in Japan, establishing Dragon Quest as the company's most profitable franchise.
In 1991, Enix registered its stock with the Japan Securities Dealers Association, later known as JASDAQ
JASDAQ Securities Exchange
The was a securities exchange headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, now the name of the market by the Osaka Securities Exchange in Kitahama, Osaka.JASDAQ is not related to NASDAQ in the United States, but operates an electronic trading system similar to NASDAQ.-History:...
. Enix soon began publishing manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
from its shonen magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan. The company established ties with more video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
s and would go on to publish several games for fourth
History of video game consoles (fourth generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the fourth generation began on October 30, 1987 with the Japanese release of Nippon Electric Company's PC Engine...
, fifth
History of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
, and sixth generation
History of video game consoles (sixth generation)
The sixth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. Platforms of the sixth generation include the Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox...
game consoles. Despite the announcement that Enix's long-time competitor Square Co., Ltd.
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
would develop exclusively for Sony
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, Enix announced in January 1997 that it would release games for both Nintendo and Sony consoles. This caused a significant rise in stock for both Enix and Sony. By November 1999, Enix was listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Tokyo Stock Exchange
The , called or TSE for short, is located in Tokyo, Japan and is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies...
's 1st section, indicating it as a "large company."
Merger with Square
In June 2001, Enix expressed interest in partnering with both Square and NamcoNamco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
in online
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
ventures to deal with mounting development costs. That same month, Enix invested in the company Game Arts
Game Arts
is a Japanese video game software developer located in Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1985 as a computer software company, they have since expanded their enterprise to produce for a number of game console and handheld systems...
, acquiring ¥99.2 million worth of stock shares in order to publish the latter's Grandia series. Despite Enix's marketing of Dragon Quest VII
Dragon Warrior VII
Dragon Warrior VII, known in Japan as is a Japanese console role-playing game developed by Heartbeat and ArtePiazza, and published by Enix for the PlayStation in...
in 1999, the game was delayed numerous times and not released until 2000. As a result the game didn't (as had been expected) contribute to the fiscal year 1999, cutting the company's previous profit-to-sales ratio in half and causing its stock value to drop by 40% in early 2000. Enix was further hurt by a delay of Dragon Quest Monsters 2
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2
Dragon Warrior Monsters 2, known in Japan as , is a video game published by Enix for the Game Boy Color. It is the second Dragon Warrior Monsters game for the Game Boy Color and features two different versions of the same game, Cobi's Journey and Tara's Adventure Dragon Warrior Monsters 2, known...
in Japan in 2001, dropping its first-half 2001 fiscal year profit by 89.71%.
Enix's competitor Square also suffered financially in 2001, mainly from the box office failure of its feature film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 Japanese-American computer animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series of role-playing video games. It was the first photorealistic computer animated feature film and also holds the record for the most...
. This made Enix hesitant to join with the company. However, it was announced on November 26, 2002 that the two companies would merge
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
the following year in order to mutually decrease development costs and to compete with foreign developers. The merge was delayed until April 1 2003, when the new merged entity Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
came into being. The merger between Enix and Square had apparently been considered since at least 2000.
Asia
Digital Entertainment Academy Co., Ltd. was established as a partially owned subsidiary in 1991. Originally called Toshima Ku Hokkaido University, the school was founded to teach game developmentGame development
Game development is the software development process by which a video game is developed. Development is undertaken by a game developer, which may range from a single person to a large business. Mainstream games are normally funded by a publisher and take several years to develop. Indie games can...
. As of April 2008, it is funded by 20 gaming corporations, including Square Enix.
Square Enix Webstar Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. was a company formed between Enix and Mauritius Webstar Inc. in 2001 to develop online and mobile phone games in China and, later, other parts of Asia. One of the products includes the MMORPG Cross Gate. The subsidiary was carried over after the merger between Square and Enix, but was dissolved in 2005 after the establishment of Square Enix China.
North America
Enix America Corporation was the corporation's first AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
localization subsidiary. It was organized after the release of Dragon Warrior by Nintendo of America
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
in 1989. The subsidiary came into existence in 1990, but closed in November 1995 when the parent company decided to no longer release products in North America due to poor sales. One of the games they published, King Arthur & the Knights of Justice
King Arthur & the Knights of Justice (video game)
King Arthur & the Knights of Justice is an action-adventure game developed by Manley & Associates and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in May 1995...
, was Enix's first and only North America exclusive game.
Enix America, Inc., Enix's last American localization subsidiary, was organized in 1999 after the release of Dragon Warrior Monsters
Dragon Warrior Monsters (video game)
In Japan, Dragon Warrior Monsters sold 2.35 million copies. The North American version sold 60,000 copies by April 2000.Dragon Warrior Monsters received mostly positive reviews, receiving an average score of 78.9% from Game Rankings based on 12 reviews...
through a joint venture with Eidos
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
. Paul Handelman, who was part of Enix America Corporation's staff, returned to lead Enix America, Inc. as President. The corporation was in existence until 2003, ceasing to exist after the merger with Square Co., Ltd.
Video games
From 1983 to 1993, Enix published games for Japanese home computers including the NEC PC-8801NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Sharp X68000
Sharp X68000
The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030...
, and FM-7
FM-7
FM-7 is a home computer released in 1982 in Japan.The Fujitsu FM-7 was Fujitsu's first entry into the Japanese home computer market, and for their debut computer, they chose to come out with a 6809-based personal computer very similar to Radio Shack's Color Computer.-Hardware:*Two MC 68B09 CPUs @...
. Beginning on the Famicom, Enix published the very successful Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
series, which, after the formation of Square Enix, had already sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Although the first few titles were developed by Chunsoft, other companies would also develop main installments, spin-offs, and remakes for the series including Heartbeat
Heartbeat (company)
Heartbeat was a Japanese video game developer, famous for developing the sixth and seventh installments of the Dragon Quest series. Heartbeat also developed a remake of Dragon Quest IV. Plans to localize this remake in North America were halted when the employees of Heartbeat decided to take a...
, ArtePiazza
Artepiazza
ArtePiazza is a video game development and computer graphics studio based in Japan. Their name derives from the Italian words for "art" and "a public square".-History:...
, and TOSE
TOSE
is a video game development company based in Kyoto, Japan. It is most known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch Gallery series, various Dragon Ball games, as well as other Nintendo products...
. The Dragon Quest franchise would carry over as one of Square Enix's most important assets. Other notable franchises published by Enix include the acclaimed Star Ocean
Star Ocean
is a franchise of action role-playing video games developed by tri-Ace and published and owned by Square Enix .-Creation and influence:...
and Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profile is a video game series developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix . It comprises three titles:* Valkyrie Profile, a 1999 PlayStation game**Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, the 2006 PlayStation Portable port...
series by tri-Ace
Tri-Ace
is a Japanese video game development company formed in 1995 by former Telenet Japan employees Yoshiharu Gotanda , Masaki Norimoto and Joe Asanuma . The name is a play on words regarding the "three aces" who formed the company...
, both of which would also continue with Square Enix. The company Quintet developed several role-playing games for Enix such as ActRaiser
ActRaiser
is a 1990 Super Nintendo Entertainment System action and city-building simulation game developed by Quintet and published by Enix that combines traditional side-scrolling platforming with urban planning god game sections. A sequel, ActRaiser 2, was released for the Super Nintendo in 1993...
, Robotrek
Robotrek
Robotrek is a role-playing game released in 1994. It was published by Enix and developed by Quintet and Ancient for the SNES video game console.As its Japanese name implies, Robotrek was intended as a humorous game...
, Soul Blazer
Soul Blazer
The soundtrack of the game was composed by Yukihide Takekawa. It was published in Japan by the record label Apollon on February 21, 1992.- Reception :The game was reviewed in 1993 in Dragon #200 by Sandy Petersen in the "Eye of the Monitor" column...
, Illusion of Gaia
Illusion of Gaia
, known in Europe as Illusion of Time, is an action role-playing game that was released on September 1, 1994, for the Super NES . It was developed by Quintet. Enix published the game in Japan, and Nintendo published it worldwide...
, and Terranigma
Terranigma
Terranigma, known as in Japan, is a 1995 action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet. It was published by Enix in Japan before Nintendo localized the game and released an English version in Europe and Australia. The game was never officially released...
for the Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
.
Manga and toys
Enix began publishing mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
in 1991 in its own Gangan Comics publications, which originally consisted of Monthly Shōnen Gangan, Monthly Gangan Wing, and Monthly GFantasy.
Other products
In November 2000, Enix set up a subsidiary titled BMF in KawasakiKawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
to handle a fingerprint identification systems operation. Enix took a 68% stake in 200 million yen capitalization. The subsidiary was expected to post a pretax profit of 12 million yen on sales of 135 million yen in the first five months of operation. In September 2002, Enix entered a joint venture with Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
to distribute broadband sports content. The subsidiary, Sports BB, was owned 80% by Enix and 20% by the college.