Square Enix plans further GBA support with new FF titles

Japanese giant Square Enix is to throw the not insubstantial weight of its Final Fantasy franchise behind the Game Boy Advance once again, with an original Final Fantasy game and remakes of Final Fantasy I and II on their way to the platform.

The move is further evidence of a reconciliation between Nintendo and Square Enix, after relations between the two companies finally thawed following the retirement of Nintendo's former firebrand president - and outspoken Square critic - Hiroshi Yamauchi.

The first Final Fantasy game to grace a Nintendo console since the SNES era, Final Fantasy Tactics, was used to launch the Game Boy Advance SP in Japan last year, and went on to become a massive commercial success on the platform.

Now Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita has reportedly gone on record saying that the company will create a brand new Final Fantasy RPG title for the Game Boy Advance, and will also create a conversion of classic NES titles Final Fantasy I and II for the platform.

According to Tokita, Nintendo had requested that the company create a version of Final Fantasy III, but it has elected to port the earlier titles first. It's not known whether they will be released at full price, or whether they will join Nintendo's popular Famicom Mini range of budget-priced NES remakes.

Square Enix' relationship with Nintendo on home console platforms may also bear new fruit in the near future, with rumours abounding that a new GameCube title from the giant RPG publisher will be unveiled at E3, following the commercial success of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle. This would however represent a significant departure from form for Square Enix, which has not previously used E3 as a platform to launch new game titles.