Bad news for Western Final Fantasy fans expecting the thirteenth iteration of their favourite series to drop this year. It’s been reported that Final Fantasy XIII is set for a 2009 release in Japan, but only next year around the rest of the world.
The reason behind this is that Square Enix are hard at work on the PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIII. The game, as we are now well aware, is set for an Xbox 360 release as well. The mitigating factor here is that the Xbox 360 version won’t see a release in Japan as this region will be PS3 exclusive.
The other mitigating factor is that Square Enix’s multi-platform deal is set up so that work on the Xbox 360 version (not releasing in Japan) will not begin until the PlayStation 3 version is complete, worldwide localisation and all. The last remaining factor here is that the worldwide, multiplatform release of Final Fantasy XIII is to be a simultaneous release between the platforms. This means that the worldwide release can’t go forward until the Xbox 360 version is complete, sometime next year.
There are sure to be a ton of videos and screenshots when Final Fantasy XIII is released in Japan, although that’s hardly a substitute for the real thing…
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Comments:
I look forward to every Final Fantasy game that makes an appearance, and I've played almost every single numbered Final Fantasy in existence (the sole exception, for some reason, being Final Fantasy V). The only reason I ever bought a PS2 was for Final Fantasy X, and I wasn't disappointed. Interestingly, the series might now be stronger for the injection of new blood, now that the two stalwarts, series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and series musician Nobuo Uematsu, have left. Final Fantasy XII made some brilliant changes to the game, and I'm expecting no less with XIII. 2010 cannot come fast enough!