SQUARE
ANNOUNCES LICENSING PROGRAM FOR FINAL FANTASY:
THE SPIRITS WITHIN
SQUARE, today
announced its licensing program for the upcoming
Columbia Pictures' release FINAL FANTASY: The
Spirits Within. This program supports the
already established licensing program for hit
SQUARESOFT® videogames FINAL FANTASY® IX and
The Bouncer(TM).
"We're
delighted to be working with manufacturers to
create quality merchandise that we know will
appeal to our fans," said Jun Aida President
of Square Pictures. "We're looking to
build our licensing program with licensees that
can produce fun and innovative items to further
promote the SQUARE brand in additional
categories."
Square
Pictures' FINAL FANTASY: The Spirits Within
features the voices of Alec Baldwin, Steve
Buscemi, Peri Gilpin, Ming-Na, Ving Rhames,
Donald Sutherland and James Woods in the first
computer-generated (CG) animated motion picture
with hyperReal characters. The film is
scheduled for release by Columbia Pictures on
July 11, 2001.
The film
simulates human emotions and movements more
realistically than any CG animated film in
moviemaking history. Ushering in a new form
of entertainment, the film links interactive
entertainment software and motion pictures while
using the latest in computer-generated, animated
technology. More information on the film
can be found at www.finalfantasy.com.
This film has been rated by the MPAA for a PG-13
rating.
To date, the
FINAL FANTASY videogame series has sold over 33
million units worldwide. FINAL FANTASY IX
was released in North America in November 2000
and was the top-selling PlayStation® title for
that month according to the NPD Group’s
TRSTS Video Game Data List. The
Bouncer is an action, fighting game with role
playing game (RPG) elements for the PlayStation®
2 computer entertainment system.
Released in North America this March, The Bouncer
is the first DVD based PlayStation 2 game to
feature Dolby Digital Sound 5.1 and full voice
over acting for the entire cast of characters.
Current Square
licensees are as follows:
Apparel and
Accessories
Changes -
T-shirts for adults and children (FFIX and film)
Disguise - Halloween costumes for children and
adults (Film only)
Seiko - Watches (Film only)
Fossil - Watches (Film only)
Stationery and
Paper Goods
Great Eastern -
Posters and wall scrolls (FFIX, The Bouncer, and
film)
Entertainment Calendars - Calendars (FFIX and
film)
Pocket Books - Novelization (Film only)
Brady Games - Strategy guide (FFIX and The
Bouncer) and the "Making Of" Final
Fantasy: The Spirits Within book
Toys and
Collectibles
Bandai - Action
figures and play sets (FFIX and film)
Palisades Marketing - Action figures, vinyl
statues, resin statues, resin mini-busts, and
lunch boxes (FFIX and film)
Comic Images - Trading cards (Film only)
Sporting Goods
Sport Fun -
Skateboards (Film only)
Square Co., Ltd.
and Square Pictures, Inc. Square Co., Ltd. is the
leading third-party developer and publisher of
home video game console software in Japan with
annual sales of more than US $614 million
consolidated base (based on average annual
exchange rate of 123 Japanese Yen per US Dollar
during fiscal year 2001) and 1,200 employees
worldwide. Square Co., Ltd. became famous
for its role-playing games, including its
world-renowned FINAL FANTASY series, which has
sold more than 33 million units to date, and now
publishes other titles under the SQUARESOFT brand
spanning all genres. Square Co., Ltd. is
based in Tokyo, Japan, and maintains a branch
office in Osaka. More information about
Square Co., Ltd., can be found on the Internet at
http://www.playonline.com. Square
Pictures, Inc. is a subsidiary of Tokyo based
Square Co. Ltd., which is the leading third-party
developer and publisher of interactive
entertainment software in Japan.
Columbia Pictures
Columbia
Pictures, is a Sony Pictures Entertainment
company. Sony Pictures’ global
operations encompass motion picture production
and distribution, Television programming and
syndication, home video acquisition and
distribution, operation of studio facilities,
development of new entertainment products,
services, and technologies, and distribution of
filmed entertainment in 67 countries.
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