Final Fantasy on Xbox

[DreameR]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36239.html?e3i=1&type=mov

:inocent: Announced at E3 today...

Some think that this might just win the console war for the Microsoft, and get enough sales to make the West the new Game Developing giant

[JacqueChoi]

:O

Wow.

This Makes God of War 3 the SOLE reason I'm getting a PS3.

[Eclipse]

This is another reason I wont be needing a ps3. A big blow to Sony, but I have to wonder if it is going to really change anything in Japan. It seems that even with all this software they have geared towards that market, they still are just not buying it yet....

[Styx]

have anybody see the japanese trailer?
at the end is to read "ps3 exclusive in japan".

[J Randall]

yeah ff13 on xbox in us and euro, not japan.

[artician]

This isn't too surprising, but I was relieved when it was announced. The PS3 just isn't doing well enough to support such a huge game. I got into the game industry because of FF1, so the series means a great deal to me, but even I wasn't willing to buy a PS3 for FF13.
Sony must have known it was coming. It's been "PS3 exclusive" since its announcement, but its such a huge game and I personally don't know that many people with the system.

[cookepuss]

I don't see this as a condemnation of the PS3. I don't even see it as a nod of approval for the 360. I do see it as a commentary on the state of the Final Fantasy franchise.

Final Fantasy games are expensive to produce. Just look at the credits. These things often take more people to make than the average movie. Even if the PS3's market share was up to PS2 levels Sony would need some heavy sales numbers to recoup the development costs. Branching off the PS3 and onto other platforms makes sense.

If Sony can make as much of the internal code platform agnostic they can spend less time and effort on a port, yet maximize their profits. I sincerely doubt that the 360 version is a ground up re-write. I'm more likely to believe that they share a whole lot of code and it's mainly the HW specifics that's been specialized, probably through middleware. I also wouldn't put it past Sony of having developed an abstraction layer to make cross-platform development more seamless.

Regardless, I see the 360 version of of FF as a necessary evil. Exclusivity is a dying notion. The only way Nintendo can afford to do it is because they themselves are the primary software developer for the Wii's library. By keeping Mario, Zelda, and Samus exclusive, Nintendo maintains their built-in audience. For everybody else, the days of console exclusives are quickly coming to an end. It's just not financially feasible. I'm sure that if the Wii had enough horsepower under the hood then Sony would have a version of the core series in the works too.

[YdoUwant2know]

I have to agree with cookepuss on this one. FFXIII going multi platform has more to do with the state of game development as a whole than just the system wars. Costs are skyrocketing and most companies just cannot afford to develop for only one platform. Exclusivity will continue to fall and soon only developers that are solely owned by console manufactures will produce games that are exclusive.

One thing you missed cookepuss is that in addition to the fact that Nintendo has complete control of their characters, it is also a lot cheaper to develop games for the Wii that the other two systems. All of those amazing graphics that everyone keeps drooling over take a lot of people a lot of time and so a lot of money to produce.


also...

...Even if the PS3's market share was up to PS2 levels Sony would need some heavy sales numbers to recoup the development costs. Branching off the PS3 and onto other platforms makes sense.

If Sony can make as much of the internal code platform agnostic they can spend less time and effort on a port, yet maximize their profits....

Square-Enix produces Final Fantasy games... not Sony directly. Sony does own a large chunk of the company (25% or so of Square before the merger with Enix) but they still are independent to an extent.

If I had to guess... Sony is pissed that one of their crown jewels is going multi platform. Sony has spent a lot of time and money on PR talking about how such a game is only possible because it is on PS3. If nothing else, this is another slap to the face of Sony's "we are better in every way" ego of late. Ultimately, despite what some may say, this will be very bad for Sony just because of how many people were planing on buying a PS3 just so they could play Final Fantasy. I know I for one was saving a bit from each check so I could get it when it came out. Now it looks like I will not need to.

[cookepuss]

Square-Enix produces Final Fantasy games... not Sony directly.
Slip of the keyboard....obviously. :p

[JacqueChoi]

I definately agree with you cookepuss

I'm wondering if the NEXT generation, Sony and Microsoft either embrace this, or continue trying to fight it. With so much money being lost on console manufacturing, I'm wondering if collusion or consolidation will ever happen with game consoles.

If Sony and Microsoft want to continue being in the console manufacturing business in competition with each other, they are going to need different paradigms. Nintendo did something incredibly different to put themselves out of this competition.

[Revliss]

just waiting for MSG to be on the 360 ... then i pick a 360 up .. the price of a ps3 is stupid where i am from .. it around 900USD

[Shadownami92]

Rock Band 2 is also going to be an Xbox 360 exclusive it seems.

Sometimes I wonder if Sony and Microsoft tried making too big of a jump in next-gen consoles. Sure they can get the technology, but it doesn't mean they will be able to afford the work needed to utilize it. I think that's one of the reasons Nintendo isn't in much of a deficit when compared to Sony or Microsoft in their earnings in comparison to costs. The main thing that Microsoft beat Sony in though is marketing (and that it's got more money to back up it's studios.)

Also Sony seems to be putting more effort into the PSP then they are for the PS3. I look at a bunch of game trailers from E3 and most of the good franchises have games coming out for the PSP and it seems only multiplatform games and game clones seem to be for the PS3.