March 21, 2022 – Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a global provider of semiconductors and XR technology, and Square Enix Co., Ltd., a video game company best known for the Final Fantasy series, have today announced a collaboration to explore extended reality (XR) experiences for Square Enix’s global network of development studios and intellectual property.
According to the companies, the Advanced Technology Division (ATD) at Square Enix, will work on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform, which was announced in November last year. The two companies will collaborate on building new immersive augmented reality (AR) gaming experiences.
“Square Enix has a rich history of bringing in deep storytelling and engaging gameplay that have pushed the potential of new gaming platforms over each console generation. We’re excited to work together and raise the bar of what’s possible in gaming with AR glasses using Snapdragon Spaces,” said Brian Vogelsang, senior director of XR product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Square Enix is responsible for some well known gaming titles, including series such as Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Kingdom Hearts, Just Cause, Thief, Dragon Quest, and more recently individual titles like Dying Light 2, amongst many more. Interestingly the company has been working on a ‘Space Invaders AR’ title, which will allow users to enjoy the well known retro arcade game in augmented reality on mobile devices. However, the game’s website still only offers users the chance to participate in playtests, with no further information on the availability of the game listed.
Commenting on the announcement, Ben Taylor, Technical Director at Square Enix Co., Ltd., said: “Square Enix has always been committed to state-of-the-art game technology to push storytelling boundaries, delivering unforgettable experiences for our fans.” Taylor added, “We have been investing in XR and look forward to building on Snapdragon Spaces. In particular, we think the time is right with XR to innovate on games of a classic genre we are especially known for and look forward to sharing them with the world to further our mission to help spread happiness across the globe.”
Whether or not Square Enix will be collaborating with Qualcomm and utilizing the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform to create/update the Space Invaders AR game is yet to be seen. However, based on Taylor’s comments, chances are that the “classic genre” could in fact be a hint towards such a title – Space Invaders first came out in the 70’s afterall, and the game is frequently referred to as a classic.
For more information on Qualcomm and its extended reality technology solutions, click here. To find out more about Square Enix and its gaming titles, click here.
Image credit: Qualcomm
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About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.