Everyone Is a Sith: Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360

Monday, July 14, 2008

Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360

Final Fantasy 13 will be released on the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3.

29 comments:

_J_ said...: Take a moment to appreciate what this means.

A Final Fantasy game...dual released on both Xbox 360 and PS3.

Think of what that does for cross-platform gaming.

Think of what a kick to the balls this is for Sony.; July 14, 2008 at 3:53 PM
Roscoe said...: as I said to alex.. nail down that coffin.; July 14, 2008 at 3:54 PM
_J_ said...: Remember that time when I took my PS3 back to the store? Remember how I said the PS3 sucked and there was no reason to own one?

Tee-Hee.

This is so fucking awesome.; July 14, 2008 at 3:57 PM
_J_ said...: Think about what this does for multi-platform releases. If Final Fantasy can be released on multiple platforms? That's just it isn't it? Don't console-specific launches fade away into memory?

Doesn't Final Fantasy lead the way for other J-RPGs? I know that the 360 isn't much of a hit in Japan...but if J-RPGs start to be released, dare I say launched, on it? It's that the path by which the Xbox becomes the gaming machine and the PS3 becomes the dust collecting blueray player?; July 14, 2008 at 4:02 PM
Roscoe said...: seems that way to me, but... Sony could well be the beast that's too stupid to realize it's been killed..

Momentum may well carry it through to it's ressurection.; July 14, 2008 at 4:08 PM
_J_ said...: "Sony could well be the beast that's too stupid to realize it's been killed.."

Undoubtedly Sony will never realize that. They'll keep limping along and claim victory.

But to lose Final Fantasy?

I really want to see some interviews with Sony Reps after this announcement, if only because the rhetoric will be astounding.; July 14, 2008 at 4:12 PM
_J_ said...: I'm at work so I can't access the official Playstation 3 forums. I yearn to see what those assholes are saying right now.; July 14, 2008 at 4:15 PM
Unknown said...: Sony didn't actually lose Final Fantasy though. Anyone who happens to own both a 360 and a PS3 will almost assuredly choose the PS3 copy of the 360 copy, as it pains me to say, the PS3 is a superior machine in terms of raw performance. I don't see how this makes the 360 the gaming machine at all. It does give the 360 a much stronger market share, though, and makes my life easier.; July 14, 2008 at 4:32 PM
_J_ said...: "Sony didn't actually lose Final Fantasy though."

When they lost exclusivity they lost the game insofar as FFXIII was going to be the game that brought Sony back from middling market-share purgatory.

Yes, people will buy FFXIII for the PS3. But far fewer people will buy a PS3 as a result of FFXIII than would have bought a PS3 had FFXIII been exclusive to the PS3.; July 14, 2008 at 4:39 PM
_J_ said...: "the PS3 is a superior machine in terms of raw performance"

True. VERY true. But that alone is not enough. The PS3 needed to take what the 360 had and add superior performance, not offer superior performance in place of Live! and the 360's back catalog.; July 14, 2008 at 4:40 PM
Unknown said...: I agree that currently the 360 is a better buy, as shown by the fact that I own a 360 and not a PS3, but this is also not the Death Knell you make it out to be. I will probably still end up own a PS3 by the end of next year, because there are still exclusives to the PS3 that interest me.; July 14, 2008 at 4:43 PM
_J_ said...: "It does give the 360 a much stronger market share, though"

That's the main point. The 360 was winning and now it is winning more.

And if Sony can't use Final Fantasy as a way to overtake the 360 in market share? What the hell can they use? Ratchet & Clank?; July 14, 2008 at 4:43 PM
_J_ said...: "but this is also not the Death Knell you make it out to be"

It's not just me. It's Kotaku and IGN and 4Chan and the internet. Well, everyone except the official Playstation Forums.

This is a serious blow to Sony. And, yeah, whenever things are announced someone will make a claim that "omg this means X is dead".

But losing Final Fantasy exclusivity? That's a huge fucking nail in the proverbial coffin.

And if we want to ignore the whole Death Knell part of it? It's still a huge deal. If only because Final Fantasy could lead the way to a plethora of J-RPGs being released on the 360.

Which leaves the PS3 with...I don't know what.; July 14, 2008 at 4:46 PM
_J_ said...: Link to the Square Enix Press Conference Live Blog.

Hopefully they'll say how much M$ paid to get FFXIII.; July 14, 2008 at 4:49 PM
_J_ said...: "Hashimoto: As I have already mentioned, considering that the install base was one of the reasons why decided to release it in the West on the Xbox 360..."

Ouch.; July 14, 2008 at 4:54 PM
Mike Lewis said...: the reason this is bad for sony is that they have been saying that people will see, one there flagship titles are released people will move to the PS3. well

GTA went from been a flagship title to a multisystem released.

Metal Gear Solid 4 moved a lot of copies but did not move a lot of system.

Final Fantasy XIII is now a multiplantform release: Another hit against the systerm

that leaves only one big title for Sony, Little Big Planet. Which is the sort of game I would LOVE, the sort of game that might me thing about buying a PS3. But it would take something else to close the deal. That something else could be something like a Final Fantasy game. Well, that isnt going to happen now because i already have a 360.

As for other JRPGs. I do nothing like there is a lot of motivation to release those on the 360. Non-FF JRPGs play to a smaller niche of gamers, where FF has a wider appeal.

However, i do not think this is going to "kill" the system. The install base is big, people will still make games for it, because games and systems are still selling. What this means is that Sony is no longer the king maker it was 3 or 4 years ago.; July 14, 2008 at 4:59 PM
_J_ said...: "Non-FF JRPGs play to a smaller niche of gamers, where FF has a wider appeal."

If Final Fantasy's multiple system release creates an easy way for developers to traffic to both systems? It could aid the multiple platform release of J-RPGs.

It won't convert every Halo fanboy, but it could widen the market.

Also, it sounds like they are going for 360 just in America, due to the number of people who own them, and Japan is just getting the PS3 version.

Which I think is interesting.; July 14, 2008 at 5:24 PM
_J_ said...: If you enjoy watching fanboys snipe at one another go check out the official Playstation Forums.

The mods keep shutting down all of the FFXIII threads that pop up. Because there is so much hate within them.; July 14, 2008 at 5:38 PM
_J_ said...: The E3 trailer

Redhead; July 14, 2008 at 6:36 PM
Roscoe said...: apperently, the latest news here is.. that it's NOT simutaneous release in Japan.. everywhere else will be both platforms at the same time.. but in Japan, it's PS3.. delay.. 360.

Does this change anyone's projections?; July 15, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Mike Lewis said...: Does this change anyone's projections?

no. As powerful as the japanese game market is, the american market is much larger. the xbox has not done well in japan, and this wont change that for the same reason this isnt going to kill the PS3 in the US.; July 15, 2008 at 11:31 AM
_J_ said...: FFXIII wasn't part of Sony's marketing strategy in Japan. The Nips already own their PS3s. So the whole Japanese release schedule is insignificant.

Where Sony needs to sell PS3s is the United States because the United States is a haven for round-eyes who love their 360s.

That's what made this a big deal. FFXIII was going to be the game that made round-eyes buy PS3s. Now it won't be.

Sure, some people will buy PS3s as a result of this game. But it won't be nearly as many as Sony had hoped when FFXIII was thought to be PS3 exclusive.; July 15, 2008 at 11:45 AM
_J_ said...: And also? The larger issue is that Square Enix released the game on the 360 at all.

That recognition of the PS3s inability to saturate the gaming market in the U.S. is what, I think, is the most satisfying thing to come of this. Square Enix said, in effect, "Sony? No one is buying your shit. So we're taking our game elsewhere."

That is a big deal.; July 15, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Roscoe said...: I agree...

I guess what I'm getting at is.. Simultaneous release in Japan would have been even BIGGER news.

Because the 360 is.. kinda.. in the ps3 position, over there. the whole Xbox brand is .. lagging.. in Japan.; July 15, 2008 at 12:42 PM
Unknown said...: I think Squeenix is more likely setting themselves up for cross platform gaming, because frankly there is just more money to be made there. Even if the PS3 were doing as well or better than the 360, it is in Squeenix's best interests to make their games avaialable to all markets.; July 15, 2008 at 1:20 PM
_J_ said...: "it is in Squeenix's best interests to make their games avaialable to all markets."

Why now? Yes, there is more money to be made in cross-platform gaming. But that has been the case since ever.

And, sure, we can say that this just happened to be the time Square Enix wanted to do this and it's not reflective of the PS3 not selling in the U.S. But when you look at the sales numbers, look at the market share, and recognize how reliant Sony's strategy was on Final Fantasy being available only on the PS3? I think this is more a recognition that Sony Sucks moreso than a coincidence.

To Roscoe's point...it would have been big news for Japan to get PS3 and 360 versions. But as you noted, people in Japan don't buy 360s. So it's probably not worth the effort to try to rush out a japanese version for 360 for the 13 Nips who own a 360.; July 15, 2008 at 3:43 PM
Roscoe said...: precisely... but that also shapes the Future of Sony and the PS3 projections. If it becomes the Eastern Machine, and the 360 becomes the Western Machine.. things go pear-shaped.

And.. you're somewhat wrong on there having always been more money in Cross-Platforming. That assumes there's no cost in developing cross-platforms, which there obviously is. Equally, promotional, liscencing, etc. All those costs become more complex when you add in a new platform.

By that reasoning, cross-platform gaming really only became even HALFWAYS feasible with the Genesis/SNES era, and even then you're really discussing multiple games with the same name, as even the most similar games had exceedingly different control schemes.

Hell, a case can be made that the Xbox-Gamecube-PS2 era is the first time in console history that brought with it true potential for cross-platform gaming, with a relatively standard set of buttons and sticks across platforms, and a combination of similar architecture and power in the systems themselves.; July 15, 2008 at 3:52 PM
Unknown said...: Ros hit the nail on the head. The generation previous to this one was the first time cross-platforming because a relatively simple ordeal, due to similarity in the systems. When FF switched to Sony in the first place, it was due to the physical inability to write ffVII for the N64 because of limited memory on the carts. It wasn't until the generation previous to this that it was worth the effort to create cross platform games. When ffXII came out the original Xbox just didn't have a broad enough fan base that didn't already have a ps2 to justify cross platforming, but now the time is right.

You are right that the PS3's market share played a role in this also, but it isn't Squeenix saying fuck you to Sony. It's more likely because of a fear of alienating their fan base. This is shown by it being releaseed only for the PS3 where the PS3 is popular, and allowing 360 users to get ahold of the game because the PS3 isn't doing so well.; July 15, 2008 at 4:36 PM
_J_ said...: Why must you all suck the fun out of my Sony hating?; July 16, 2008 at 11:54 AM

Everyone Is a Sith

Monday, July 14, 2008

Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360

29 comments:

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