Eidos brand to live on following Square acquisition

Eidos, acquired last week by Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix, will continue to operate as an independent business entity following the take-over, with little immediate change set to take place.

Phil Rogers will continue to head up operations as CEO, while other key staff and studios will remain with the company for the foreseeable future. Additionally, there is no current plan to slash existing franchises or create new ones at this point.

"I felt that Eidos was a very good fit in terms of sharing the same culture and sharing the same foundation for the business," Square Enix president and CEO Yoichi Wada told GamesIndustry.biz. "When I say 'sharing the culture' that includes the personality of the top management of the company, and the atmosphere in the studios.

"Because even if you were to have just had a capital tie-up, after the acquisition that will simply become a pure business contract-type of relationship. But with Eidos I felt that the fit was very good."

And Phil Rogers added that he was pleased with the progress the company has made since he took over in January last year.

"We're never complacent, but we're pleased with our progress," he said. "We were clear early on that it was a multi-year programme that we were on, and we talk internally about the first year of three, to give you some sense of rhythm or cadence. We're pleased that we've set out with a clear direction - Eidos has had different directions in the past, but when you bore back to the common direction it's about the absolute gameplay, games with character.

"We saw that as the key DNA of our business, and tried to really build around it. Actually, the positives we've achieved have been built around that DNA. We've also had challenges as well, like any business, in navigating the changing industry.

"But I'd say that we're happy with that. In terms of how we see the fit, the test for any announcement or transaction like this is how people feel internally. I think people here think that it feels very right, that it strategically fits well, and there's a great deal of excitement now around the business. As a leader of a business, I think that's a great litmus test."

The first part of the GamesIndustry.biz interview with Yoichi Wada and Phil Rogers is available now.