Confirmed: Microsoft to blame for delay of FFXIII

[Stefan.De.Machtige]

hsrob said:
I agree that this is a Square Enix issue more than a Microsoft one. Surely they are finishing the PS3 version before the 360 version for the Japanese release. Since they are doing simultaneous localisation i'd have to wonder if the Western release is in fact being affected much by the 360 version. As someone else pointed out this is not an unusually long cycle for a FF game and it is after all the largest FF production ever, it's going to take time.

With the move to HD, the overal costs have risen. Even a not unusual development time is now more of a financial strain on the company. To meet the level of detail you also need more people, which is the highest expense of them all. With any delay SE makes more costs and loses more potential profits. This is poor mangement. There is a reason, why Nintendo keeps its studio's compact and the development time short. 

This brings up the increasingly relevant question: Can you work more than 4 or 5 year on a game when the standard console lifetime is around 7 years?