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1UP E3 2008: One More Final Fantasy XIII Interview

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.

Chad Warden5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

"...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.

B-Rein5436d ago

D > Dragon Quest 10
K > Kingdom Hearts 3
S3> Star Ocean 3 on ps3
7 > (please) FF 7 REMAKE if thats on psp or ps3 ill be so happy
13> Maybe more news and detailes on FF13 Versus

tako20005436d ago

With SE current action, I doubt FF7-remake will be exclusive at all.

It would be most possible to go multi-platform, or they can announce FFversus13 go multi-platform as "shocking" news.

Everything is possible after E3...

5436d ago
Blademask5436d ago

That weirds me out... that could be it

shine13965436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

Square Enix has lately been all about the x360/microsft, I'm hoping its not x360/games for windows 'exclusive' remake of FF VII. At the very least make it multi-platform. Personally, my bet is that the bluray disk version will either have playble ps one version of final fantasy VII, or include a demo of FF13...on a side note, I wonder what Sony has in mind for home intergration for argubly one of their platform's biggest games...

Edit: Bubbles for B-Rein man that would be pretty cool....almost too good to be true, though argubly, you never know.. and wasn't sev saying something about FFVII....

Chad Warden5436d ago

Sony owns FFVII. If Square-Enix ever remakes it, it'll have to be for PS2, PSP, or PS3.

Panthers5436d ago

Chad I hope that is right. FFVII was published by Sony? Awesome.

Ya I just looked at the case and it has the Sony logo right next to Squaresofts.

gaffyh5436d ago

WOOT!!! DKS3713 better be good.

mistertwoturbo5436d ago

Just curious, if FF7 PS1 was published by Sony. Couldn't they just release the new FF7 under a different name, like FF7: Crystal Materia or something and have a different publisher? Much like F.E.A.R. and Project Origin.

So it could in fact still be multi-platform? I'm just theorizing if anybody can shed some light on this whole publishing thing.

iamtehpwn5435d ago

1UP: FFVII's characters are so beloved that they'll probably never go away, right? Just like Mickey Mouse....

SH: [Laughs] That's true, because today's 15-year-old kids were only 5 when the game released. Even though they weren't interested in it then, now they're getting into it. We're seeing a new cycle of fans emerging....

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 5435d ago
AznSniper5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

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.

Chad Warden5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

That wouldn't really "shock" anybody though lol. A simple PSN remake?

Panthers5436d ago

Ya the comment he made sounds more like a full remake. A PSN release isnt exactly "shocking". Maybe cool, but not shocking.

Overr8ed5435d ago

i would like a full remake better (graphics, some gameplay changes, new side quest stuff like that)

soul899er5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

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

mister5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

would just twiddle our thumbs patiently and wait for good ol microsoft to buy it for us. Simple as that pal.

I'm catching ont to the rules of this "gamer zone".

edit:

Oh, well in that case, I'd cry myself to sleep for days on in, and wander the vast plains of Nebraska in order to do a little soul searching. Either way, I'll get over it. While you suck on... uh, gay black people

p.s.
That was one funny a$$ video.

Chad Warden5436d ago

Sony owns FFVII, mister. It can't go multi-plat unless they want it to.

Tyler Durden5436d ago

I didint know that FFVII was owned by sony how come it came out for windows

Panthers5436d ago

It was published by Sony and probably came out for Windows so that Sony and Square could make more money. Back then M$ wasnt in the Console game and wasnt trying to take down Sony.

Sez 5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

hey chad. do us a favor and stop lying with the whole sony owns FF7 thing. sony doesn't own any FF's games. including FF7. get your facts straight or provide a link that says sony owns the rights to FF7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Final Fantasy VII (ファイナルファンタジーVII, Fainaru Fantajī Sebun?) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 1997 for Sony's PlayStation and in 1998 for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers.

where you got sony as a publisher from. is beyond me. but if SE does make a 360 version of FF7. theres nothing sony can do to stop them. except buy the exclusive.

5436d ago
Sez 5436d ago

i was wrong. i don't have a problem admitting it.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 5436d ago
5436d ago Replies(2)
yanikins1115436d ago

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.

yanikins1115436d ago

Dont think so buddy.

For a company like sony, public perception is everything. And to have ms drop a bomb like that, and have nothing to reply with would be pure stupidity. Sony have been caught with their pants down. To alot of people they would be looking out of the game, out of touch and out of ideas. I would think that they would be looking for ways to make a fine example out of SE right about now.

FF is a good series, but like everyone says, One game doesnt make or break a console. I really think that SE has just stepped off the chair. I dont know how long the rope is but i'd say its only a matter of time.

mister5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

All your "analysis" is based on pure half-a$$ed assumptions, mate. Who knows the number of 360 owners who appreciate a good RPG; who knows whether or not they too own PS3s also?

In essence, what your doing is starting from an illogical premise, and then following perfectly logically to an illogical conclusion. It just doesn't work that way buddy. Square will profit from their decision one way or another.

What you're trying to do is just rationalize your own misgivings. That's cool, but don't try and pass it on as fact.

yanikins1115436d ago

Buddy, the day i have misgivings about a game going multiplat is the day i kneck myself for being a retard with nothing better to worry about.

How many people do you know who bought ff12? I dont know any.

ff11? I didnt even know there was one.

ffx? I owned it, second hand, didnt finish it.

ff9, i know one person, 8 that same person, 7 about 5 people.

And i know alot of gamers.

Good for you its coming to your console of choice. I dont begrudge anyone that. What im saying is that if rumour is true and sony were not given any warning, SE just burnt them bad, and I would be hoping for SE's sake that the 360 is a roaring success, because if it isnt, i dont think sony are really going to give a crap is Square goes down the drain.

beavis4play5436d ago (Edited 5436d ago )

if i ran sony....i'd have to tell square to go f%ck themselves. square just went behind sonys back and left them twisting in the wind looking stupid. sony, to save face needs to re-assert themselves by making it clear to square that every decesion comes with a price. and with FF not being exclusive anymore; it's just another multi-plat title. i'm not even a huge FF fan so this doesn't bother me either way, but, the business side of these decesions does interest me. and i'm curious how sony will handle future relations with square.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5436d ago