Final Fantasy XIII only released in Japan around three weeks ago, and is all set for a March release in the west. However, Square Enix President and CEO Yoichi Wada has told Edge Online that he’s unsure whether or not Square Enix is going to continue to create “this type of game”.
“I believe Final Fantasy XIII is going be something special,” Wada said, “and that it’s going to be well received by the audience. But whether we are going to continue to internally create this type of game remains to be seen, because I actually feel that the team that was involved with Final Fantasy XIII should next move on to create and generate some ‘next generation’ forms of play. Internally and externally I feel there’s an expectation of Square Enix to offer something new, and I really think that the Final Fantasy team could create something completely different, but at the moment they’re strictly catering to the particular audience they have now.”
Yocihi Wada also took the time to address Keiji Inafune’s remark at the Tokyo Game Show that “Japan is over.”
“To say something so extreme is surprising. I’m surprised Capcom allowed Inafune to say that at TGS,” Wada told Edge, “My message by proxy for the Japanese developers who would have heard such a discouraging message is that if they are willing today, then they definitely have the capability to change and face tomorrow. I’ll say that it’s a challenge. But it’s very strange to have such an extremely pessimistic view.”
An Audience With: Yoichi Wada [Edge Online]