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Square Enix Confirms Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 Rumors

From the series' origins as the final game published by a failing Squaresoft, Final Fantasy has consistently defied expectations. Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII each redefined the classic RPG experience for console gamers, and the spinoff Final Fantasy Tactics games breathed new life into turn-based strategy. The series spans 28 games and has sold upwards of 80 million copies, making it the fourth most popular video game franchise of all time.

Across its lifespan, Final Fantasy has appeared on Nintendo and Sony consoles and handhelds and has even appeared on PC, both as ports of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII and as the massively multiplayer online RPG Final Fantasy XI. The Xbox 360 even has a port of FFXI, but the main series of games has been monogamous to Sony for over a decade. That's about to change.

At the 2008 E3 expo, the most explosive piece of news was the confirmation of years of analyst speculation: yes, gamers will be able to play Final Fantasy XIII on the Xbox 360.

Final Fantasy XIII is the first chapter of Fabula Nova Crystallis (the 'new story of the crystal' for those of you who didn't take Latin), a series of games that will take place in the same world but will not feature an intertwining storyline. This will not be the first time that Square Enix has used a shared world across several games – Ivalice has provided the setting for Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics and both games' spinoffs (and, retroactively, Square has confirmed that Vagrant Story takes place in Ivalice and is vague on whether or not fans will see Ashley Riot again).

Rather than the traditional timed exclusives that have been popular of late (e.g. a game is 'exclusive' to the Xbox 360 for six months before getting ported to the PS3), Final Fantasy XIII will be a regional exclusive, hitting only the PS3; the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII will debut in the US and Europe, where the 360 has a much more competitive installed userbase, and Sony's console is only now beginning to catch up to the Xbox in total sales.

Look for more information on Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 at GameQuest Direct. If Square Enix stays faithful to its projected '2009' launch date, we may be shipping it to you in time for next year's holiday season.

To sate your appetite for the classic franchise, give these great Final Fantasy games a play until Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 hits shelves. And when it does, of course, buy from GameQuest Direct, where we ship new, factory-sealed games direct to you.