Square Enix signs EverQuest II for Japan

Square Enix has announced that it will publish EverQuest II in Japan early next year. Square Enix will be working with Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) to "culturalize" the game for Japan's players, and they will handle the distribution, marketing, customer service, and hosting of the game.

"Sony Online Entertainment has been a great partner for Final Fantasy XI in the US market, and we are excited to work with them again in offering EverQuest II to gamers in Japan," said Yoichi Wada, president of Square Enix. "By combining our sophisticated community management skills with SOE's great content, we believe EverQuest II will have a tremendous impact on the online gaming community."

"We're very pleased to be working with Square Enix on EverQuest II," added John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. Square Enix is known around the globe for the quality of titles that the company publishes, and we're honored that they feel that EverQuest II lives up to the standards of their games."

EverQuest II will be the first third-party title ever published and operated by Square Enix in Japan. We'll bring you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.