Quote:There is word trickling out of a business meeting today by Square Enix, that Final Fantasy XIII will not be hitting our shores till mid 2010. This is definitely unacceptable coming from a company known for its stellar RPG franchise. Square Enix is to blame for this mishap, but the blame also falls squarely on Microsoft.

Square Enix has mentioned in the past that the PS3 version was practically finished and going through the final touch-ups for release in Japan this year. So, why is it that the US and Europe will be getting the game one year later? Square Enix execs have made it crystal clear that the game will not hit our shores until the porting/development has finished for the Xbox 360.

In a recent meeting, Square Enix revealed that the earliest US and Europe would see Final Fantasy XIII would be in April of 2010. Originally, the execs at Square Enix hinted that the game would arrive in 2009 for the US territory. However, this all changed after last E3, where the studio heads revealed that a deal has been struck just before the conference with Microsoft, for a simultaneous release on the PS3 and Xbox 360.  

When I first heard that there was going to be a delay due to the decision to port over Final Fantasy XIII to the Xbox 360, I was okay with getting a late 2009 release in time for the holidays. However, now Square Enix is telling me I won’t be getting my grubby hands on it till mid 2010 (at the earliest), which is pretty disappointing.

I really don’t care where I play Final Fantasy XIII. It could be on my Xbox 360 or PS3 as long as they are of equal quality. However, what really bothers me is that I have to wait longer because Microsoft got too greedy.

Why couldn’t the finished version just get released first and tack on some extras onto the later version? The reason is because that wasn’t part of the deal when Microsoft dropped millions into Square Enix’s lap.

Square Enix is equally to blame for this blatant disregard for the fan’s patience considering that wee have been waiting for this game since 2006. I love my Xbox 360 and I have played it to death many times (literally), but I am no tool.

Folks, “it is what it is” and there is no need to sugar coat it, Microsoft messed up. The company put their greed over us, the general consumers and purposely cockblocked the release of Final Fantasy XIII.  Sigh. My rant is over, time to get back to playing Gears of War 2 Horde mode.