Two days after Square Enix president Yoichi Wada stunned attendees at Microsoft's E3 press conference by revealing that the previously PlayStation 3-exclusive Final Fantasy XIII would also appear on Microsoft's Xbox 360 (in North America and Europe, at least), 1UP had the very rare opportunity to speak with two of the masterminds behind Square Enix's flagship property. Coproducers Shinji Hashimoto and Yoshinori Kitase still remain nebulous about specific FFXIII gameplay details, but they dropped plenty of hints about both the ambitious multigame Fabula Nova Crystallis project and the future of Final Fantasy VII.
Interview Excerpt:
1UP: Last week, Final Fantasy Versus XIII director Tetsuya Nomura said that he's hard at work adding new scenes to the FFVII: Advent Children Complete Blu-ray release. Can you give us any update on that project?
SH: You can look forward to the upcoming invite-only fan event DKS3713 [taking place in Tokyo on August 2 and 3], where we'll have a major announcement that will shock the fans in attendance.
"...where we'll have a major announcement that will shock the fans in attendance."
Final Fantasy VII remake? That would be the ONLY way to cheer up all the PS3 fans that are still a bit disappointed about XIII going multi-plat. They still have Versus as exclusive but still. VII would make everyone cry.
I see a Final Fantasy VII enhanced remake announcement for PSN. Not a fully fledged remake, but just touches to Final Fantasy VII to make it in HD with clarity and no jaggies but keeping its classic look. I see this more doable than making a fully fledged remake as that would take more time and cost.
that would make 360 fans shiz their pants xD thank god Sony owns VII, so im hoping it has to do with the video games xD
Honestly, the execution of this is the DUMBEST thing i have ever seen a company do.
Ok what do they gain?
They gain access to the 360 user base. What? 20 (not sure on up to date figures, dont really care) million consoles, - maybe a few thousand dual 360 console households, - lets be generous and call it 5% hardware failures, - % of people who own a 360 and dont like JRPG's, - people who also own a ps3 and will buy it on ps3.
Now consider that month in month out the ps3 outsells the 360 in every region (although we may as well call it even in the US), despite the fact that the 360 can be purcased for less than the price of a wii.
After considering all of this, the way in which this news was broken to the public is near on suicide for Square Enix.
Im guessing that they can kiss all support from sony good bye. I mean, sony have that many in house studios that after ff13 is released, it wouldnt suprise me if they told square to go f*ck themselves. They gave MS the biggest bomb shell that they possibly could (bar ff13 being 360 exclsuive), they gave Sony no warning, no opportunity to counter the offer that im sure MS made, gave them no opportunity to prep something equally as big for E3, and pretty much gave MS all the ammunition that they need to publicly humiliate Sony.
Hell. Talk about burning bridges.
Honestly, FFVII is the only FF game that i have finished. From what i have heard people say, and judging from Squares questionable financial situation the FF series hasnt been the big cash-cow that square wants it to be for some time. Im sure that had ff13 remained exclusive, or even a secretly timed exclusive, sony would have had some interest in keeping square enix afloat, either buy funding exclusives or buying them out. However now im inclined to think that sony wouldnt give two f*cks.
I would hope that a buy out offer was on the table from ms during these discussions because if ff13 flops, i guarantee you, square will be the next sega.