Final Fantasy XIII (FFXIII) is currently a PS3 exclusive, but Square Enix's Hiromichi Tanaka said in his keynote address at the Austin Game Developers Conference (GDC) that the game is being developed with a "cross-platform" engine:
"Development is proceeding smoothly now, with the framework now beginning to take shape. Last year we went through a development reorganization, with the development of our own cross-platform middleware – the White Engine. This is the foundation for FFXIII and the new MMO."
Up until then, the White Engine had always been referenced as PS3-specific. However, Takana's keynote does not mean we should jump to the conclusion that FFXIII will appear on more platforms. Consider this: Gears of War and BioShock were built on a "cross-platform" engine, (Unreal Engine 3,) does that mean both titles will appear on additional platforms? It does mean that platforms other than the PS3 will possibly benefit from future Square Enix products based on the White Engine.
In addition to FXIII and the new MMO, Takana's keynote also covers real money trading (RMT), its problems and lessons, and Wings of the Goddess (Final Fantasy XI expansion.) Read the full article for details.
Update
The Austin Game Developer Conference was on September 5-7, 2007. Hiromichi Tanaka delivered his keynote address at the conference on September 6, 2007. The story - dated September 6, 2007 - is a coverage of that keynote address.
In the past, there have been widespread rumors and speculations that the latest White Engine, which powers Final Fantasy XIII, might be cross-platform. However, those rumors and speculations had never been confirmed by its official proprietor, Square Enix.
This is the first time Square Enix (not an outsider like Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi or anyone else) officially confirmed, at a game developer conference, their proprietary White Engine that runs Final Fantasy XIII is indeed cross-platform.
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