Final Fantasy Creator Signs with Microsoft

Sakaguchi helming two RPGs for Xbox successor.

Microsoft has proven that despite lagging significantly behind its competitors in Japan it is not ready to give up on the territory just yet. The company has signed a deal with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi that will see the acclaimed game designer create two exclusive RPGs for the Xbox successor, currently codenamed Xenon.

We don't know what game this art is for either,
but it does look pretty.

No details are known yet about the two Xenon RPG projects, but the jump in power from Xbox to Xenon means that Sakaguchi will be able to do things not possible before.

"Microsoft's cutting-edge technologies in the next-generation platform will allow me to bring to life an array of ideas that I have had for many years," Sakaguchi said at the announcement of the deal.

"I want these games to be alive with a new vision for gaming and vividly depict new characters that will transcend the game, find a place in the hearts of gamers, and make time spent with my games a fond and long-lasting memory."

Sakaguchi was one of the lead game creators at Square in Japan and oversaw the Final Fantasy series from its genesis in 1986 until 2001. He also directed the series' big-screen debut Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which was a financial disaster for Square and was largely responsible for the company being forced to merge with long-time rival Enix in 2003. Following his split with Square in 2001, Sakaguchi set up an independent development studio named Mistwalker, which also has games in development for the Nintendo DS.

While the Xbox has been an unqualified success in North America and Europe, Japan has been less kind to the console. On 22 February, the Xbox celebrated its third anniversary in the country, with approximate total console sales standing at a less-than-impressive 500,000. The console has largely engendered itself to the more hardcore sector of the Japanese gaming populace.

Role-playing games are the most popular genre in Japan, with top brands regularly topping the annual sales charts. Dragon Quest VIII, the latest entry in the long-running franchise, was released in December for PlayStation 2 and has already sold around 3.5 million copies. The Final Fantasy series, meanwhile, has racked up total sales of more than 60 million since 1986.

With the release of Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation in 1997, RPGs gained a wider acceptance in the rest of the world and today the genre stands as one of the most successful in North America with ever-growing sales in Europe too.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games