April 18, 2006 - Remember that next-generation massively multiplayer online RPG trailer Square Enix showed at Microsoft's pre-E3 press conference last year? While Square Enix stated that the trailer was merely a test demo for an MMORPG running on a next-generation game system or operating system, the showing at Microsoft's press conference suggested that Xbox 360 would be a target platform for the resulting title. It turns out that this may not be the case.

Speaking with Impress Watch on the eve of the Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan launch in Japan, FFXI producer Hiromichi Tanaka stated, "As we work on Final Fantasy XI, we're currently working on a new MMORPG targeting Windows Vista and PS3." Square Enix is hoping to make the game a worldwide title, Tanaka added.

Although Tanaka did not make specific mention of Xbox 360, his statements on future MMORPG developments at Square Enix were on the whole pretty vague. He did not state if the new game targeting the PS3 or Windows Vista has anything to do with the trailer shown at E3. Nor did he shed further light on how the footage shown at E3 relates to Final Fantasy XI, only restating that it might be an extension of FFXI, it might be something that exists along side it, or it might be something to counter it.

Future PS3 owners looking to play a next generation version of FFXI on Sony's new system come November are out of luck, though, as Tanaka stated that getting such a title ready for the system's launch would be impossible. Tanaka did not, however, comment on the possibility of an updated version of FFXI for the system, similar to what the Xbox 360 is getting. And sadly, the website failed to ask the obvious question: will the PS2 version of FFXI be playable on PS3?