For a lot of gamers, buying a PS3 is like stocking a hope chest. Not only are you plunking down your half-grand for the raw processing power needed to watchTalladega Nightsin high-def, you’re investing in the future of gaming — namely some forthcoming PS3 exclusives likeMetal Gear Solid 4andFinal Fantasy XIII. Havingalready dashed your hopesfor the former, it pains me to inform you of the latest word on the latter: it might be much later than we thought.
The news comes from Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada at today’s financial briefing in Tokyo. When asked for an update on the anticipated flagship sequel’s status, Wada replied:
“It will still take a bit more time. At the very least, [a release] this fiscal year is definitely out of the question.”
That puts the expected timeframe ofFinal Fantasy XIII‘s release beyond March of 2008 in Japan. Unless Square-Enix runs a translation parallel to the game’s development, this could mean a significant delay for releases in the US and Europe. Should localization time match what we’ve come to expect from pastFinal Fantasyreleases — typically five to seven months — we might not see a US release ofFFXIIIuntil Christmas.
Sucks, huh? At least we’ll be seeingsolid PS2 releasesuntil the end of time — that ought to tide us over until then.
[ViaIGN]
