Square Enix pledges "strong support" for Nintendo's online plans

Japanese publisher Square Enix will give "strong support" to Nintendo's online plans for the Nintendo DS and Revolution consoles, according to president Youichi Wada - but the firm behind the Final Fantasy series is less keen on Xbox 360.

Speaking in an interview published on Japanese website Impress Game Watch, partially translated by US site IGN, Wada praised the ideas being touted for the DS online service - which will later be extended to Revolution when that platform launches.

He seemed particularly taken with Nintendo's plan to design the service around players linking up with people they already know in real life (although some games, such as Animal Crossing DS, may allow players to meet strangers online), saying that "it gives the image of taking the real world seamlessly into the virtual world."

Square Enix has already confirmed that it will be supporting the Nintendo DS, and is expected to launch a Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle game for the platform later this year - so the move to support the platform online as well is unsurprising.

However, Wada went on to confirm that Square Enix will also be providing support for Nintendo's forthcoming Revolution platform - and its online service. "What increased our interest further," he explained, "is that the next step is already being prepared for Revolution."

"From here on, we'll have to challenge ourselves with content in response to what Nintendo offers," he concluded. "We would like to give strong support."