Sounds reasonable, releasing new games in the two top series of your company in the same year is also stupid because it means your financial result will be absolutely great in this year but the other years will all look poor. Also, I guess that it would hurt sales a little, too.

@OP: Weren't people expecting FFXIII to be released on christmas 08 in Japan? I don't think that this is "good news".

So release FFXIII instead of DQ.

I think SE, are more likely to delay FF XIII, and let the install base grow. although ironically, it is that game a lot of people are waiting for, but WKS and the Last Remnant should go some way to improving the size of the install base (MGS 4 too?)

With the PS3 showing poor software (and even hardware) sales in Japan (even after new models and price cuts), it doesn't surprise me that this will game will wait.

 I have $70 to spend on video games this month and I want both DQIX and FFXIII. I obviously can only get one and will have to wait until I get more money that can be spent to buy the other. By the time that happens though another big game might be out, and a lot of the hype around both games will be down. So yes, people will say "Oh, there's DQ and FF, but I will only buy one of them."

 DQ will make them way more money. The DS has a much larger userbase, and in Japan is a much much bigger series. Given that they are likely looking at Japanese sales primarily, you have a bigger franchise on a console with over 10X the userbase or a smaller franchise on a small user base that has not gotten up in arms about a game quite yet (all of which will certainly change in the future). To get a standard FF launch out of Japan you would need to sell a copy to just about every PS3 owner. I think Squareenix is looking to reverse the trend of every FF having a smaller launch than the previous one and not make it worse (speaking of Japan sales only although the trend does hold somewhat true everywhere else).

I thought DQIX was supposed to hit closer to the beginning of the year? Why would FFXIII effect it?

Also, if they're waiting for a larger install base (which I don't think they are), aren't most of the potential FFXIII buyers waiting until it comes out before breaking down and buying a ps3 anyway? Developers can't keep delaying games to wait for a larger install base, because the install base won't grow without games. They'd only be hurting themselves by sitting on a finished project.

 Worldwide FF always outsells DQ. Square-Enix looks strongly at Japan sales though. Given the very long wait times between the Japan, and international releases this makes a bit of sense. They need those sales to fund their continued operations and they make a killing in that market. I am not sure that either game will make it out of Japan before the end of the year, and neither will make it anywhere except Japan and America by the holiday season at best. Given those facts, DQ will be the series that sells more if it were to be released this year.

but the game would cost half as much right? I dunno if it would double FFXIIIs sales. But regardless I only said that because I want FFXIII and not DQ.

Because everyone who owns a PS3, also owns a DS, in Japan, and people can only play one game at a time. In Japan, both series are equally respected, and close in sales.

If FFXIII was on the DS and DQIX was on the PS3, would you want them released in the same time period?

Well, in Japan, there is no difference. They are interchangable.

On a side note, most of you Sony fanboys don't wanna play DSIX because it's on DS. If that shit was on PSP or PS3, you would be eating its dirty underpants and singing its praises to the heavens. DQIX and Monster Hunter 3 means Nintendo has clout in Japan this year beyond what its had in the past. These are significant 3rd party support for the country.