Square losing money? Well would you Adam and Eve it.

 October 10th, 2001 - The creator of the PlayStation, Japanese electronics giant Sony, have announced that they are to purchase a 19% share of Square Co., LTD worth about 14.9 billion yen (£80 million and $124 million) at 1,330 yen a share.

This comes as little surprise considering the recent losses incurred on Square by their failed venture to the box office with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Square are expected to lose about £60 million ($100 million) after investing large amounts into pioneering rendering techniques over a period of four years.

Once the deal is completed, Sony will be the second largest shareholder in Square after its creator. Square's share price has halved since the release of the movie, so Square we're keen to attract investment to take the dent off their first losses for many years.

In an official statement, a Sony representative said: "Through this agreement, Square will further enhance development capabilities and technology of world-renowned game software franchises represented by "Final Fantasy" series, which have sold over 35 million copies worldwide, and a number of forthcoming new and attractive games. These outstanding games will successively become available on the world's most popular PlayStation and PlayStation 2 platforms."

Nintendo whores look away now...	... It's Final Fantasy XI.

Of course this deal means Sony will have a big influence on the future of the Final Fantasy series and all Square projects - you can bet your last penny on any future Final Fantasy being exclusive to the PlayStation 2 or any other future Sony platform. Final Fantasy XI will be most affected as the first online Final Fantasy was being touted as a multi-platform title to appear on the PlayStation 2's rivals, X-Box and GameCube. With Sony firmly with their feet under the table of the Square board room, it would be hard to see why we'll be seeing any Final Fantasy games on the Nintendo platform for the first time since Final Fantasy VI.