Enix
| File:Enix.svg | |
Native name | 株式会社エニックス |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Enikkusu |
| Formerly | Eidansha Boshu Service Center Co., Ltd. (1975–1982) |
| Company type | Kabushiki gaisha |
| Industry | |
| Founded | September 22, 1975 |
| Founder | Yasuhiro Fukushima |
| Defunct | April 1, 2003 |
| Fate | Merged with Square |
| Successor | Square Enix |
| Headquarters | , Japan |
Key people |
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| Products | |
| ¥7,459 million (March 2002) | |
| ¥4,276 million (March 2002) | |
Number of employees | 134 (March 2002) |
| Subsidiaries | See Company structure and affiliates |
| Website | www.enix.co.jp |
was a Japanese multimedia company engaged in the publication of video games, manga, guidebooks, and related merchandise. Established in 1975 by Yasuhiro Fukushima under the name Eidansha Boshu Service Center, the firm originally focused on tabloid publishing and briefly ventured into real estate management. From 1982 onward, Enix redirected its efforts towards video game publishing. Early notable collaborators included designers Yuji Horii and Koichi Nakamura, along with composer Koichi Sugiyama, who together created the landmark 1986 role-playing game Dragon Quest for the Family Computer. This title became one of the pioneering successes in console RPGs and evolved into a core franchise for Enix’s identity.
The company established itself as a key publisher for development studios such as tri-Ace, Tose, Chunsoft, and Quintet. It also launched the Gangan Comics imprint and broadened its global reach through subsidiaries and alliances across technology, publishing, and education industries. Confronted with escalating production expenses during the early 2000s, Enix engaged in merger discussions with competitor Square, renowned for the Final Fantasy series. This union was finalized in 2003, resulting in the creation of Square Enix, with Enix remaining as the surviving corporate entity.
1975–1989: Origins and the Birth of Dragon Quest
On September 22, 1975, architect-turned-entrepreneur Yasuhiro Fukushima founded the company initially named Eidansha Boshu Service Center. The organization began as a publisher concentrating on real estate tabloids and, in 1980, established a subsidiary called Eidansha Fudousan to specialize in real estate brokerage and transactions; this subsidiary was later renamed Eidansha Systems. Headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the firm aimed to expand nationwide by 1982 but soon shifted its focus toward the burgeoning video game industry. On August 30, 1982, Eidansha Fudousan rebranded as Enix Corporation—a name inspired by both the mythological Phoenix and the ENIAC computer.
To generate new game concepts, Fukushima initiated the "Enix Game Hobby Program Contest," which awarded ¥1 million (approximately US$10,000) for promising game prototypes. Among the winners were Yuji Horii for Love Match Tennis, Koichi Nakamura for Door Door, and programmer Kazuro Morita for Morita's Battlefield. Enix subsequently published these titles across personal computers and early Japanese gaming consoles. Using his prize earnings, Morita founded Random House, a developer responsible for multiple PC and console releases including the Morita's Shogi series. Collaborating with Nakamura’s Chunsoft studio, Horii developed the adventure game The Portopia Serial Murder Case in 1983. Plans to adapt this title for the Famicom led to discussions that ultimately sparked development of a role-playing game for that platform.
The production of Dragon Quest commenced in 1985 with Horii and Nakamura serving as lead designers; Koichi Sugiyama composed its soundtrack while artist Akira Toriyama—famed for Dragon Ball—provided character designs. Although initial sales were modest, the game eventually achieved critical acclaim and commercial success, surpassing one million copies sold within Japan. The Dragon Quest franchise became Enix’s most lucrative property, with Horii, Sugiyama, and Toriyama continuing to contribute significantly to subsequent entries. Chunsoft developed the following five installments in the series. Simultaneously, Enix maintained a steady output of PC titles to support financial stability.
Starting in 1988, Enix diversified into merchandise by producing character figurines and toys based on Dragon Quest, later expanding into board games and card games.
In October 1983, Enix partnered with Konishiroku Photo Company to establish Konishiroku Enix; by January 1989, it had acquired full ownership of this venture. Additionally, a second subsidiary named Enix Products was formed in March 1988 to manage publications and character merchandise sales. These subsidiaries were consolidated into Eidansha Boshu in April 1989, which then adopted the name Enix Corporation.
1990–1999: Publishing Expansion and Partnerships
In 1990, Enix released its inaugural third-party console game, ActRaiser, for the Super Famicom, developed by Quintet, a studio established by former staff from Nihon Falcom. Enix went on to publish all of Quintet’s subsequent Super Famicom titles within Japan. Between 1988 and 1991, the company diversified its revenue streams beyond Dragon Quest by venturing into print media alongside video game publishing. This strategy led to the creation of the Gangan Comics imprint, launching with Monthly Shonen Gangan in March 1991, and later expanding to include other manga lines such as Monthly G-Fantasy and Monthly Shonen Gag-OU. Additionally, Enix broadened its merchandise portfolio to encompass popular franchises like Mario and Pokémon. In February 1991, Enix registered with the Japan Securities Dealers Association to facilitate public share offerings.
Following the release of Dragon Quest V in 1992, Chunsoft—the primary developer of the main series—shifted focus toward independent projects but maintained collaboration on spin-off titles, including early entries in the Mystery Dungeon series. Subsequent mainline installments were created by Heartbeat, a company founded by former Chunsoft personnel, until they took a hiatus in 2002. Starting in 1994, Enix published Horii’s Itadaki Street franchise and frequently supported games from Tamtam, while also partnering with developer Tose to produce the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series.
Enix initially passed on publishing Tales of Phantasia, developed by Wolf Team, which was instead released by Namco in 1995. Nevertheless, Enix later published Star Ocean in 1996, developed by tri-Ace—a company formed by former Wolf Team members. This collaboration yielded three additional Star Ocean games along with the Norse mythology-inspired RPG Valkyrie Profile in 1999. Enix also brought Western console titles like Riven (1998) and Tomb Raider III (1999) to the Japanese market. In August 1996, the company relocated its headquarters from Shinjuku to Shibuya. Unlike many contemporaries who transitioned exclusively from cartridge-based Nintendo 64 titles to disc-based PlayStation games, Enix committed to releasing products on both platforms and eventually planned development for the GameCube. By August 1999, Enix achieved listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s first section, designated for major corporations.
2000–2003: Organizational Challenges and Merger
During the early 2000s, Enix’s manga division encountered significant difficulties as editorial staff criticized the company’s strong emphasis on Dragon Quest and targeting of the shōnen audience. Complaints also arose regarding restricted creative autonomy and strained relationships between authors and editors. In response, editor Yoshihiro Hosaka and others established Mag Garden in 2001, launching competition through its magazine Monthly Comic Blade. This resulted in a substantial migration of creative talent away from Enix and legal disputes over manga copyrights that were ultimately settled in 2003 when Enix acquired a partial stake in Mag Garden. The division regained stability following the success of titles like Fullmetal Alchemist. Financially, Enix faced challenges caused by delays in releasing Dragon Quest VII (2000) and Dragon Quest Monsters 2 (2001). Prominent projects during this period included PlayStation 2 entries from the Grandia series, the MMORPG Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion developed by Puraguru, and Cavia’s action RPG Drakengard.
In 2001, due to escalating development expenses, Enix explored potential mergers with either Square or Namco. Negotiations with Square were temporarily suspended following Square’s financial losses linked to the 2001 film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. However, after the commercial successes of Final Fantasy X (2001) and Kingdom Hearts (2002), talks resumed. Square CEO Yoichi Wada described the merger as a combination of two industry leaders. Some shareholders—including Square founder Masafumi Miyamoto—expressed concerns about share dilution. These issues were resolved by adjusting the stock exchange ratio so that one Square share equated to 0.85 Enix shares. The resulting merger created Square Enix, effective April 1, 2003, with Enix remaining as the surviving corporation absorbing Square’s operations. The last titles published under Enix before merging were Star Ocean: Till the End of Time and Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart, both released in 2003. Subsequent releases post-merger included Fantasy Earth and Drakengard.
Corporate organization and subsidiaries
In merger analyses, Takashi Oya from Deutsche Securities highlighted Enix's strategy of "[delegating] game development externally and maintaining a limited number of internal creators," contrasting sharply with Square's emphasis on in-house production. At the time of the merger, Enix operated two main divisions: one dedicated to managing the Dragon Quest franchise under Yuu Miyake, and another overseeing producer supervision. Employees at Quintet in 1997 referred to themselves as a "contracted developer" for Enix, contributing to projects even without holding publishing responsibilities. Yuji Horii founded Armor Project to manage the Dragon Quest series for Enix, describing their partnership as akin to that between an editor and an artist; Armor Project subsequently evolved into an affiliate of Square Enix.
Enix Webstar Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., established in 2001 in partnership with Mauritius Webstar Inc., focused on creating online and mobile games across China and other Asian markets. This subsidiary remained active after the merger but was dissolved in 2005 following the establishment of Square Enix China. Digital Entertainment Academy Co., Ltd., partially owned since 1991, was created with the purpose of offering education in game development.
Enix America Corporation, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, was the company’s first U.S.-based localization branch, founded after Nintendo of America released Dragon Warrior in 1989. The subsidiary was launched in 1990 but shut down in 1995 due to weak sales performance in North America. Among its catalog, King Arthur & the Knights of Justice stood out as Enix’s sole title exclusive to the North American market. Later, Enix America, Inc., set up in 1999 and located in Seattle, Washington, operated under Paul Handelman’s leadership until it was closed following the Square merger in 2003. Numerous localized games were published by third parties such as Nintendo and Sony Computer Entertainment; the final title published through licensing was Dragon Warrior Monsters, released by Eidos Interactive.
Impact and heritage
The Dragon Quest franchise emerged as one of Japan’s most beloved video game series, expanding into a broad multimedia presence and embedding itself within popular culture. It is acknowledged as a trailblazer for console-based role-playing games, shaping numerous later franchises. Enix’s Gangan Comics imprint played a significant role in diversifying manga readership by merging elements traditionally associated with both shōnen and shōjo genres. The company also contributed substantially to popularizing fantasy themes and was among the pioneers advocating publisher-led creative involvement in anime adaptations.
External links
- Official website (archives)
- Official website (archives)
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing Japanese-language text
- Enix
- Video game publishers
- Video game companies established in 1975
- Video game companies disestablished in 2003
- Defunct video game companies of Japan
- Japanese companies established in 1975
- Japanese companies disestablished in 2003
- 2003 mergers and acquisitions
- 1999 initial public offerings
- Companies formerly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange