‘Final Fantasy’ Will Return to Nintendo

Japan’s Square Co., after a six-year absence, will return the legendary “Final Fantasy” video game series to Nintendo Co.’s consoles.

Confirming earlier reports in Japan, a Nintendo of America spokeswoman said Square will set up a subsidiary to develop new versions of the series for Nintendo’s GameCube console and Game Boy Advance hand-held unit.

Nintendo expects “Final Fantasy” titles for its consoles to be released by the end of the year, the spokeswoman said.

“Final Fantasy X,” released last year for Sony Corp.’s PlayStation2, was one of the 20 best-selling video games in the U.S. in 2001, according to NPDFunworld. The series has sold more than 30million copies worldwide.