Square

v • t • e
Square Co. Ltd.
Location	Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
Founded	September 1986
Defunct	April 1, 2003 (merged with Enix to form Square Enix)
Subsidiaries	Digicube; Square Soft, Inc.; Square Electronic Arts L.L.C.; Square Pictures, Inc.; Square Europe Ltd.

Square Co. Ltd. (株式会社スクウェア), commonly known by it brand name SquareSoft, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher best known for developing JRPG games, including worldwide acclaimed series like Final Fantasy, founded in September 1986 by Masafumi Miyamoto. In April 2003 the company completed its merge with long-time rival company Enix, forming Square Enix, its current incarnation.

Square Product Development Division 3 developed Xenogears, as well Chrono Cross and Threads of Fate. Many developers from Division 3 and other staff members of Square departed and joined Tetsuya Takahashi's new company Monolith Soft in late 1999.

Square Electronic Arts, LLC was a joint-venture between Square and U.S. developer and publisher Electronic Arts announced in April 1998, in order to publish Square games in the North American market. A similar company was established in Japan as Electronic Arts Square, K.K. (エレクトロニック・アーツ・スクウェア株式会社) to publish EA games in Japan. This venture would last until shortly before the merge between Square and Enix in early 2003. The American branch published Xenogears on October 1998.

DigiCube Co., Ltd. (株式会社デジキューブ) was a subsidiary established on February 1996 to produce and distribute merchandising based on Square's intellectual properties. It was put on bankruptcy in November 26, 2003, caused by a declining on sales. A short-lived line of strategy guides named Perfect Works (later replaced with the brand Ultimania) were released between 1998 and 1999, with Xenogears receiving a book entitled Xenogears Perfect Works ~the Real thing~.

Tetsuya Nomura, employee of Square (and currently Square Enix), best known for being the lead character design on the Final Fantasy series starting VII, designed Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Torna characters (with the exception of Nia).