NEWS - Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Final Fantasy To Xbox?
Microsoft in talks with Enix, SquaresoftXbox maker gets serious about penetrating Japan
TOKYO - Ahead of the highly anticipated launch of Microsofts Xbox in Japan next month, the U.S. software giant is poised to team up with the makers of some of the countrys leading game software to produce titles for the game machine.
A deal with Enix and Square could give a major boost to Xbox sales in Japan, where the two companies produce some of the leading game software titles such as "Dragon Quest" and "Final Fantasy".
Microsoft (MSFT: news, chart, profile), which is scheduled to roll out the game console in Japan on February 22 with a 34,800 yen ($263) price tag, is pinning its hopes on the Internet capabilities of its Xbox game machine and has been looking for partners to develop Internet games for the console.