Square Enix

Background

On April 1, 2003, video game company Square merged with Enix Corporation, forming Square Enix. In 2005, Square Enix purchased multinational entertainment and video game company Taito. In 2009, the company made a step into the European market after the acquisition of Eidos Interactive. In May 2022, Embracer Group made a deal with Square Enix to acquire the assets of Square Enix Europe, which includes Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics & Square Enix Montreal as well as 50 titles from the company. The sale was completed in August of that year. Square Enix still retains the rights to several of the Eidos properties, such as Gex.

Logo (June 26, 2003- )

Visuals: The company's name (in a modified version of the Bank Gothic font, with the "Q" being different and both E's having their middle lines in red) forms quickly on a dark background.

Trivia: During Series 2 of Pop Team Epic, the logo is parodied in a eyecatch whenever there is a collaboration segment with Square Enix during certain episodes. Upon this, the Pop Team Epic series' logo is replaced with "SQUARE ENIX" shown in both Japanese Katakana (スクウェア・エニックス) and English in both the same manner and the series' logo. Furthermore, the white background darkens then brightens when that happens. After that, a illustration is shown, based on the part. These parts were done by Kamikaze Douga.

Variants:

There is a version where the logo is in black within a white background, as well as white in a superimposed background. This can be shown in some Japanese advertisements, while the latter can be found in the US commercial for Final Fantasy XIII.
Sometimes, the logo is still, and is put on a white or black background.
- In rare cases, the logo may be bigger, or smaller to fit the screen.
- A blue version of the still logo can be seen on Dragon Quest Builders.
- A grayscale version of the still logo can be found on a few games, such as I Am Setsuna.
In the trailer for Just Cause 2, the words "London Studios" are displayed below the Square Enix logo,. Square Enix had acquired Eidos at that point, turning the company into its European branch. It is also shown on the title screen.
On Tomb Raider games (including Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (except for the Nintendo Switch version)) and Marvel's The Avengers, the company's establishment year and headquarter location is shown below the logo as "ESTABLISHED 2003 TOKYO, JAPAN".
- On the 2018 film adaptation of the 2013 game of the same name, the company's name zooms in then fades out after the animation.
On Just Cause 3, the background is white and after about six seconds, it zooms out, revealing the logo on a beach towel on a seat. The main character, Rico Rodriguez, (voiced by Kevin Collins) pulls the towel from behind him, revealing the Avalanche Software logo, which is shown on the title screen.
Sometimes, the logo appears in the opening cinematic of the game.
- On the opening cinematics of the Kingdom Hearts games from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep onward, the logo is in CGI, and is gold as it turns upward before fading out.
- On Balan Wonderworld, the logo is on a dark background. The logo is also shown on the title screen.
There have been a couple of modified variants in collaboration with Nissin in Final Fantasy titles:
- On the Cup Noodle XV commercial for Final Fantasy XV, the company's name is replaced with "NISSIN SHOKUHIN".
- On the Donbei Kitsune Udon collab commericial for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the company's name is replaced with the Donbei Kitsune Udon logo in the same manner.
In commercials from the first few years, the animation is slower.
In a Japanese commercial for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII', the logo is already shown. The same occurrance happened with Hanjuku Eiyuu 4, albeit being faded in and out.

Technique: 2D computer animation by Square Enix Image Studio (formerly known as Visual Works).

Audio: A piano note, and a quiet Japanese female voice whispering the company's name, along with a woosh sound. Sometimes it omits the female's voice, or it's silent.

Audio Variants:

The opening cinematic variants have their own custom SFX and/or music.
On Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, there is a character from the game saying the company name. The character who says it depends on the date the game is played (for instance, if the game is played on the seventh day of any month (like May 7), we would hear Cloud Strife (voiced by Takahiro Sakurai in Japanese and Steve Burton in English), Sephiroth (voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa in Japanese and Steve Staley in English), Tifa Lockheart (voiced by Ayumi Ito in Japanese and Leigh Cook in English), or Aerith Gainsborough (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese and Mena Suvari in English) (characters from Final Fantasy VII) do the voice-over; if the game is instead played on the first of any month, we would hear the Warrior of Light (voiced by Toshihiko Seki in Japanese and George Grant in English) or Garland (voiced by Kenji Utsumi in Japanese and Christopher R. Sabat in English) (characters from the first Final Fantasy game) do the voice-over. It loops back to the first game after the 13th of any month.).
On the member commercial of Love Live! School Idol Festival ~After School Activity~, a member of μ's (pronounced "muse") says the company's name after the piano note.
On the Monthly Shonen Gangan commercials, a group of Japanese children say the company's name after the piano note.

Availability: It is hardly seen on video games since the company's birth but can be seen on video game trailers and advertisements, as well as a few titles, such as the PC re-release of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII in 2012 and 2013, respectively, with the former title also shown on the iOS and Android ports, which skipped the Eidos Interactive logo after that, Dungeon Siege III and Quantum Condundrum (albeit using a variant).

Hanjuku Eiyuu Tai 3D is the earliest known game to have used this logo, with the Square and Enix icons being shown.
It can be seen on other games from the company, such as The Last Remnant for PC, some Nintendo DS games and Dissidia: Final Fantasy for PSP. The silent version is more common than the sound version, however.
This logo makes an appearance on the 2018 film Tomb Raider.

◄	Square Enix

Square Enix