Final Fantasy XII Delayed in Japan
Square Enix delivers the bad news.
Hopes for a speedy arrival of Final Fantasy XII were dashed on Monday. Square Enix has announced that the game will miss its Japanese release date.
Final Fantasy XII was previously announced to launch during this winter, the fourth quarter of Square Enix's financial year. Monday's announcement confirmed that the game will now only ship during the spring of 2005.
Square Enix is riding a crest of support from its throngs of followers.
In addition to the announcement of various updates and original titles for Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP, the company is also preparing to launch the most anticipated game of the year in Japan: Dragon Quest VIII.
This marks the first time that a Dragon Quest game and a Final Fantasy game are being prepared for near-simultaneous launch on home consoles since the two RPG powerhouses Square and Enix merged in 2002.
Chief among Square Enix's concerns is to maximize the performance of both games, which would undoubtedly cannibalize each other's sales were they to release too close together.
Square Enix has not confirmed what effect, if any, this news will have on the eventual European release of Final Fantasy XII.
For more on FFXII, including videos, click here.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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