Final Fantasy XIII, originally a PS3 exclusive like previous numbered entries, is also releasing for the XBox 360. Over the past few months, we’ve all guessed the reasons for FFXIII’s break in tradition: Why spend millions making a game and not garnering the maximum profit? But you only need listen to Square-Enix’s US boss, John Yamamoto, when he declares that the “platform exclusive” trend is dead.
“To maximize and spread our games to as many users as possible I think we have to go to multiformat – the Xbox 360, PS3 and also the PC as well…The Japanese market is very strong and back when we could concentrate on developing games for just one console, business was very good. But the one-console market is over.”
That PC trend reflects even further when you consider SE is opening a new LA-based studio and also serving as publisher of, wait for it ….. Gas Powered Games‘ Supreme Commander 2.
Decisions like these, including plans for world-wide releases of The Last Remnant and Final Fantasy, are commonly skipped by other Japanese developers but contribute tremendously in the long run, according to Yamamoto.
“I do feel that there is a tendency for Japanese developers to focus too heavily on the domestic market…With increased competition from overseas developers, Japanese companies must recognize the need to appeal to a broader audience.”
Does that mean we can look forward to Final Fantasy Versus XIII heading to the 360 as well? How about a PC port of FFXIII? For now, we’ll look forward to Supreme Commander 2, and pray Chris Taylor has exited his Space Siege phase of creativity.
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