You probably wouldn’t put the Apple Watch in the same category as a PlayStation 4, but one of the world’s most beloved video game publishers is going to try.
Square Enix, the company behind franchises like “Final Fantasy” and “Dragon Quest,” announced Thursday that it is developing a new role-playing game for the Apple Watch. It’s called “Cosmos Rings” and it’s expected to release in Japan this summer. The company says it’s the “world’s first” RPG made fully for the Apple Watch.
That’s arguable: There have been other RPGs that run on the device, like “Watch Quest!” and “Runeblade,” but “Cosmos Rings” could be the first that doesn’t require an iPhone. Apple introduced Apple Watch-native apps with watchOS 2 last fall.
The Apple Watch screen is dinky compared to the iPhone ― let alone a television ― but the move makes more sense than you’d think. According to recent analysis, the Apple Watch, an iPhone-connected accessory launched by the tech giant last year, is a $10 billion business.
“Apple isn’t walking or jogging but sprinting ahead with Apple Watch,” Neil Cybart, an Apple analyst who runs the Above Avalon blog, wrote in a post last month.
Square Enix has also been keen on expanding its mobile gaming options. The company has released iOS and Android versions of classic games like “Final Fantasy VII,” “Secret of Mana” and “Dragon Quest III,” in addition to smartphone-only entries like “Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius.”
Mobile gaming is expected to generate $35 billion in revenue this year, according to an analysis from Deloitte. That’s more than “traditional” PC gaming and console gaming, though mobile gaming is also much more competitive ― the average smartphone game makes a lot less money than PC or console games, that same analysis said.
As for the amount of money an Apple Watch RPG can make ― we’ll just have to see.
H/T TechnoBuffalo