Microsoft’s Xbox 360 games console got a big boost on Wednesday when Square Enix, the last major Japanese games developer not to have embraced the console, said it would release a title on the platform.
The game, called “Infinite Undiscovery,” was given a brief preview at a Tokyo news conference but few details of the role-playing game were announced. Square Enix didn’t share a release date.
The support of a major publisher like Square Enix will likely help build buzz around the Xbox 360 in Japan. The console hasn’t sold as well as the PlayStation 3 or the very successful Wii but has been doing much better in the marketplace than its predecessor, the original Xbox.
From Aug. 27-Sept. 2 sales of the console in Japan totalled 1,635 units, according to Media Create. That made it the No. 4 console behind the Wii at 39,371 units, the PlayStation 3 at 18,068 units and the PlayStation 2 at 14,280 units. Media Create receives actual sales data from around 3,000 stores across Japan and uses that to estimate nationwide sales.
Square Enix announced its support at an event where Microsoft also previewed upcoming games that will be on display at next week’s Tokyo Game Show.
Among the other games previewed was “Ninja Gaiden 2,” a bloody role-playing game in which main-character Ryu Hayabusa slashes his way through a quest to save the human race. The game, which will be published by Tecmo, is a sequel to a title published for the Xbox and will be an exclusive title for the Xbox 360.
Microsoft also gave “Lost Odyssey” a launch date. The game, which had people at last year’s Tokyo Game Show waiting more than an hour to play a demo version, will be launched in Japan on Dec. 6, in the rest of Asia in January 2008 and in North America and Europe in February 2008. The role-playing game is being published by Microsoft and will cost ¥6,800 ($60).
With currently available titles and new software combined there will be about 250 games available for the Xbox 360 by December, Microsoft said.
