Jaws dropped at E3 2008 when Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII was going multi-platform. While the game still is a PS3 exclusive in Japan, it will be hitting the Xbox 360 abroad.
There's a word that sums this up for many PS3 owners who bought the console specifically to play FFXIII. That word is "betrayal." Square Enix Corporate Director Shinji Hashimoto doesn't see it that way at all, saying:
I'd rather they not think of this as a "betrayal" or disappointment. It's not like we're canceling or delaying the PS3 version at all! It's more of an added bonus for 360 fans. We won't be putting them at a disadvantage in any way.
Producer Yoshinori Kitase explains that the team is currently working on the PS3 version and is at a point where the developers can put the build on BRD. After the PS3 version is completed, they'll focus on the Xbox 360. And then it'll be on the Xbox 360. Kitase ensures that just because Square Enix is doing an Xbox 360 port, it doesn't mean there will be a drop in quality or a reduction in scope for the PS3 version.
"The fact is, the PS3 version is what's in development right now, and the team is working to specialize that version to the very best of the PS3's abilities," says Kitase. "After that, we'll do the 360 port and optimize it to that particular hardware." These guys are pros, they should be able to wring the best out of both hardware.
Still, people have been waiting for this game for years now. Expectations are high. No matter how good this title is, Square Enix does have a formidable challenge ahead of itself. "We would have loved to have had it ready sooner for the console, but with the development of new hardware," adds Hashimoto, "it's become more and more complicated to develop software."
