Japanese game developer and publisher Square Enix has released its fiscal report for the period between 1 April 2009 and 31 December 2009. Its profits have risen by 48.2% in comparison with the same period in 2008, mostly due to sales in Japan of its flagship title Final Fantasy XIII and as a result of it purchasing the British games developer Eidos Interactive.
 
Square Enix had a net income of 7 797 million yen (approx. R667 million) during the nine month period leading up to December 2009, up from 5 259 million yen (almost R450 million) in the same period in 2008. Eidos was incorporated into Square Enix last year and its games like Batman: Arkham Asylum, have also contributed to the Japanese company’s rise in profits. 
 
Final Fantasy XIII was released on 17 December in Japan and will be coming out on 9 March in the US and Europe. “We are pleased with the success of our Final Fantasy XIII launch in Japan on December 17th, where we successfully shipped 1.8 million units in this market with a PlayStation 3 installed base of 4 million,” said Yoichi Wada, President and Representative Director of Square Enix.