Yoichi Wada (current President of Square-Enix, Co, Ltd) recently spoke with Nikkei Torendinetto on the release date of the company's biggest internal project at the moment, Final Fantasy 13. Reportedly, Wada replied by saying that the game could, theoretically be released in 2008. However, it is highly unlikely they will risk this, as they are also releasing the DS title Dragon Quest 9 this year.
Upon merging, Square and Enix unanimously agreed that Final Fantasy was Square's big draw-card, and Dragon Quest was Enix'. In Japan, however, Dragon Quest is bigger than Final Fantasy, so Wada has decided that Dragon Quest 9, the next major release in the series, would be released without any major internal competition this year so as not to wound sales.
So there you have it folks. Final Fantasy 13 can be released in 2008, but will probably be kept back until early 2009, as our estimates here predicted. Check back regularly for more updates to this scheduele!
The bolded questions are from Famitsu, the replies are Square-Enix's Public Relations (PR) team.
Will FF13 be released in 2008? All the information about that is false and Toriyama (Motomu, director) and Nomura (Tetsuya, character designer) never said the game would be released during 2008.
What caused that rumour? The websites overseas probably mistranslated Toriyama when he said the development team is hoping to release a battle system demo in 2008, and "finally (give you) the experience you wanted".
To conclude, what is the current status of FF13, and when will we hear more information? The PR department has stated that the progress of all Fabula Nova Crystallis games is going well, and the company always releases new information at events and through the media.
So there you have it again folks, no Final Fantasy 13 this year. 2009 for pretty much all Fabula Nova Crystallis titles.
Final Fantasy XIII release dates debunked Over the past few weeks, videogaming websites have been going wild, suggesting that Final Fantasy 13 would release this year.
Sadly, although this would be a convenient truth for those who are impatient, Square has publicly spoken out about these rumours, once again enforcing that only a demo will be released this year to show off the battle style.
Square-Enix had this to say on the subject:
"Although information regarding the release date of Final Fantasy 13 has been reported by certain videogame websites, Square-Enix itself has yet to make an official statement on this topic. Any reports of a confirmed release date are erroneous and should be disregarded.
Square-Enix will make an official announcement in the future concerning the release date when it has been determined. "
As we mentioned last year, Square had already announced previously that the game would most likely not arrive within the 2008 financial year. Therefore, expect the game sometime after March 2009.
As part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis project, Final Fantasy 13 embarks on an adventure full of mysticism, friendship, and strife in the name of destiny. The world calls for change. Chosen by the crystal to guide the world into this new era of change, Lightning attempts to overthrow the government from which she was cast.
Cocoon, for many, is the ideal state of life. Or at least it was. Prosperity reigned upon its inhabitants. Powered by the crystal, they were given everything they would ever need: machines, magic, and other living beings. The citizens of Cocoon were thankful, but soon became scared of the threat posed from without. The people of cocoon grew scronful, outlawing any suspicious personae to the world below: Pulse.
Lightning is one such person, and has witnessed the resulting injustice first-hand that has begun to overtake the world of Cocoon. After becoming friends with many of Pulse's inhabitants, she has begun to realize her true destiny.
With less than a year until the release of Final Fantsasy 13, we're sure to keep you posted on updates on the developement of the game here at Final Fantasy Insider, where we have all your Final Fantasy needs!
All the characters we've been hearing about from the trailers can be spotted here, and they're all looking very interesting - the characters really don't seem to be playing to close to stereotype here!
As for a release date for this new title from the Kingdom Hearts team, nothing is confirmed, except that 2009 is a probability. Expect this to come out a little over six months after its sister-title, Final Fantasy 13.
Keep checking back regularly for new updates regarding Final Fantasy Versus 13!
We have, in fact, heard much of these characters before (as they were featured in the Jump Festa 2008 Closed Mega Theatre Trailer), but this is the first we've ever seen of them in their official, in-game form! Enjoy!
As for a release date for this new PlayStation 3 epic, early 2009 seems a likely date to look foward to - Tetsuya Nomura states that "2008 is the year" for new media and demos, in the big lead up to the title's release!
Check back in often for more Final Fantasy 13 updates!
These scans really show off some of the game's environments and characters, as well as art/creature design and the general mood of the game.
Accompanying this grand batch of HQ scans is an intriguing translation of this page's story introduction by FinalFantasy-XIII.net, which we've touched up slightly here:
Built by a great entity, it is a society floating in the sky, enclosed in a "shell" - Cocoon.
It flourishes, protected by the great machines and living creatures invented by the Crystal.
The inhabitants of Cocoon, in a long period of tranquility, fear infection from the outside.
Outside the shell, an underworld --- the entity of "Pulse" awakens. Fearing this faceless invader, the people begin to suspect one another, and hatred takes root.
Cocoon's government, wishing for stability, takes emergency measures. They arrest large numbers of citizens, suspected of being "infected from the outside", and announced that they would be compelled to migrate to this underworld, "Pulse". In reality, it meant banishment, but the fate which awaited them was even more cruel than that...
The crystal, a symbol of harmony, chose a person to whom they would entrust destiny... to lead the world.
She was chosen.
To be the enemy of mankind, who will ruin the world.
Final Fantasy 13, as we recently emphasized, is a PlayStation 3 exclusive, and will probably release sometime in the first half of 2009.
This time however, we're going to show you the high-quality versions straight from the hip, rather than presenting you something of a questionable quality. Enjoy!
As you can see, a few new characters are finally seen in their in-game/CGI versions - until now, we'd only been treated to Maiki's accurate drawings! :)
Final Fantasy Versus 13, a PlayStation 3 exclusive from the Kingdom Hearts I & II team, has no set release date. Expect to see it sometime around Q4 2009.
This time, we're mostly looking at summons that will be featured in the game - most notably Shiva, Ifrit, Carbuncle... basically, many fan-favourites.
Final Fantasy 13, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, still has no concrete release date. Expect the game to release almost simultaneously sometime in the first half of 2009.
This second synopsis is from the Final Fantasy Versus 13 trailer, which has been arousing more interest than the actuall FF13 trailer, strangely enough.
This trailer features two new characters - one simply explained as 'wearing glasses', the other a man with black hair and a scar across his face. A new organization is also shown off, one that is apparently hell-bent on destruction. The young male with a shotgun from the TGS trailer is seen again, and is explained as a 'fugitive'.
Lastly, we see the four characters (the Prince, the shotgun-wielder, the man with a scar and the male with glasses) standing atop a building, staring into the distance. The Prince turns and walks away, and the other three gradually follow suit...
Sources: FXN and a big thanks to Maiki again for the drawings, as well as her friend Chuc.
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