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TRADING SPACES
Square-Enix Explains Final Fantasy XI's Impending Move to the Xbox 360
Never mind previous allegiances with Nintendo and Sony; for Square-Enix, when it comes to next-generation console game development, all bets are off. Determined to be beholden to no man (or billion-dollar conglomerate), the Japanese RPG publishing giant is bringing its hit MMO Final Fantasy XI to yet another platform - Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Fully compatible with existing versions for the PC and PlayStation 2, the title will run at higher resolutions than ever, plus feature enhanced sound quality. And, potentially, bring an influx of new blood to the game, as tech-heads and mainstream audiences alike flock to lay hands on the world's most powerful set-top box.
Don't go selling any kidneys on eBay just yet, mind you. There's no sense dropping a mortgage payment on one of many retailers' currently grossly-overpriced bundles, seeing as a release date for the outing remains ambiguous. But with HD graphics and total support for Xbox Live forthcoming, says producer Hiromichi Tanaka, it'll be worth investing in the system - and, insofar as the game itself is concerned, well worth the wait:
LQGaming Services:: Given that it's several years old now, why choose to make Final Fantasy XI your company's debut effort on the Xbox 360?
Tanaka: Initially, we were developing Final Fantasy XI for the original Xbox, but we could not reach an agreement with Microsoft due to difficulties with the Xbox hardware and lack of hard drive space. However, with the Xbox 360, a compromise in company policies and a greater hard drive capacity allowed us to introduce Final Fantasy XI for Microsoft's new system. Final Fantasy XI is a cross-platform title, and we are trying to make it available for as many platforms as possible so that players can access the game using whatever means they wish.
LQGaming Services:: What key changes, if any, will be made to the product for its next-gen console debut?
Tanaka: The ability to connect to the world of Vana'diel from your Xbox 360, PC or PlayStation 2 is Final Fantasy XI's most distinguishing feature. I think I can safely say, however, that players using an HDTV with 5.1 channel sound will be able to enjoy higher quality images/audio on the Xbox 360 than on either PC or the PS2. In order to fully upgrade the game for a next-generation system, we would have had to practically remake it, and considering the massive amount of data in the game, the process would have taken several years. Taking into consideration the version updates, which are downloaded on all platforms, upgrading or changing the game dramatically would not be a wise decision from a developer's perspective.
"Upgrading or changing the game dramatically would not be a wise decision. We're just thankful Microsoft understands the difference between an MMORPG and previous Xbox Live games."
LQGaming Services:: Who do you see as the audience for Final Fantasy XI on this platform as opposed to other systems?
Tanaka: I think that most of the Xbox 360 players will be people who have enjoyed the game in the past, but have moved to a new system. However, I hope that this new version will also attract new players, particularly in Europe, where until now only the Windows version has been available.
LQGaming Services:: What makes you convinced you'll attract a large following here?
Tanaka: I think that this goes back to the previous question, but we're really targeting new players in Europe.
LQGaming Services:: How exciting is it for Final Fantasy to be making its debut on a non-Nintendo or Sony platform? How much is Microsoft getting behind the franchise?
Tanaka: Final Fantasy XI was created as a cross-platform game. This means that with the increase in systems the game is available for, players' options will increase. We are thankful that Microsoft understands the difference between an MMORPG and previous Xbox Live games. From a technological standpoint, Microsoft fulfilled our aspirations in the hardware planning stage by designing the Xbox 360 to be able to run MMORPGs. I think that this was very important for future developments.
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