Square, Namco, and Enix exchange 5% stakes in each other

[04.23.01] » Partnership to help defray rising costs of development.

   According to Bloomberg Japan, Square, Namco, and Enix are exchanging 5% shares in each other's companies. The combined value of the transactions will be about 44.2 billion yen, or $36.3 million at current exchange rates. Furthermore, the companies will finalize exchanges of the first 1% by the end of this week.

   This financial exchange is expected to help the three companies defray some of the rising costs of development and spread the impact of the market's financial risks. GameSpot reports that the companies plan codeveloped projects, but the original Japanese press release contains no such suggestion. It is unknown how, if at all, this partnership will affect next-generation target development and target platforms.