Square Enix News
Mistwalker's "Cry On" Gets Canceled
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Originally Posted by 1Up.com
 AQ Interactive Announces Cancellation Of Cry On For Xbox 360 Third of Sakaguchi's planned trio of 360 games becomes a Christmas Day lump of coal. On Christmas Day in Japan, AQ Interactive has announced the cancellation of Cry On for Xbox 360. First revealed in 2005, Cry On was to be developed by Mistwalker and Cavia as the third in Hironobu Sakaguchi's triumvirate of Xbox 360 titles. Cry On was to be an action RPG featuring a Nobuo Uematsu soundtrack, with character designs by Kimihiko Fujisaka. No screen shots were ever shown. When asked about the cancellation, AQI responded, "AQI decided to cancel the project after analyzing the current market environment and forecasts for the future. We deeply apologize for troubling those who were awaiting its release." |
Square Enix at Jump Festa 2009
You know Square wasn't going to let the end of the year go by without some love for its rabid fans. Jump Festa 2009 (which, oddly enough, happens in 2008) recently went down in Japan, and there are quite a few bits of news to share from the event:- First off, some bad news. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, previously scheduled for release in Japan in February, has been pushed back to a less definitive "Spring 2009".
- Despite Square's insistence to the contrary, many doubt the existence of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers given the ongoing dearth of information about it. Well, it looks like those doubts are about to be laid to rest for good, as both the Wii and DS versions of FFCC Echoes of Time (due out in Japan come January) will come packed with the first trailer of the game seen in over 18 months.
- Images of the special edition FFCC Echoes of Time DSi have finally been released for all the world to see.
And now, the real reason you came to this thread: TRAILERS.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (note: the black-haired girl is Xion, the mysterious 14th Organization XIII member)
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Dragon Quest IX
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
[Source - RPG Fan, Go Nintendo]
2009 State of the Square Address
The end of the year is fast approaching, and a lot of stuff has happened. A world economy in crisis. Barack Obama was elected President. George Bush had a shoe thrown at him. Then another one.Square has offered up its share of surprises as well. In contrast to 2007 where only one console game made its way to the US, this year saw six. We can attribute some of this to Square's new initiative to do simultaneous worldwide releases for its big games instead of their usual practice of releasing a game in Japan first and sending it elsewhere several months later. On the portable front, while Square wasn't quite as DS crazy as they were last year, the support was still quite strong: 6 titles released in North America compared to 9 in 2007. The PSP, on the other hand, has seen slightly more love than it has in the past. Two games were released for Sony's portable this year, one of them being Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, perhaps the most significant game for either portable. The highest selling game worldwide on any platform was Dragon Quest V for the DS.
The biggest new trend of the year from the company is how rapidly they have turned against Sony. While it's fairly clear that Sony has done a poor job of managing the PS3, this chain of events is still surprising considering how close the two were in the days of the PS2. It began with the bombshell that Microsoft dropped at E3 that Final Fantasy XIII, long known as a PS3 exclusive title, would be coming to the 360 outside Japan. The next move was to release The Last Remnant on the 360 (a few weeks ago) long before the PS3 version (still no solid release date). On top of that, Star Ocean 4 is due out March of 2009 on the 360, and a PS3 version isn't even officially in the works. But the most striking fact is this: Square has not released a single game for the PS3 since it launched two years ago.
Square's directive to better provide games to areas outside Japan has been reflected in their financial results. For the first half of Fiscal Year 2009 (FY 2009 ends March 31, 2009, first half ended September 30), North America and Europe saw increases from the same period of FY 2008 both in individual sales (NA up over 2 billion yen, Europe up 200 million) and percentage of worldwide sales (NA up 3%, Europe up 1%). By contrast, sales in Japan fell sharply to the tune of 6 billion yen, putting worldwide sales down by over 4 billion yen (or 6%) from the same period last year. These figures are likely due in part to the current economic situation.
To wrap up the review, here are some unit sales for individual games (release month in parentheses):
Dragon Quest V (DS) - 1.1 million JP (July)
Crisis Core (PSP) - 150k NA (March), 460k EU (June)
Final Fantasy IV (DS) - 250k NA (July), 180k EU (Sept)
Infinite Undiscovery (360) - 120k JP (Sept), 200k NA (Sept), 90k EU (Sept)
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 (DS) - 200k NA (June), 120k EU (June)
Dragon Quest IV (DS) - 30k JP (Nov 2007), 90k NA (Sept), 140k EU (Sept)
The World Ends With You (DS) - 140k NA (April), 20k EU (April)
Dragon Quest Swords (Wii) - 100k EU (May)
Chocobo's Dungeon (Wii) - 70k NA (July)
And now for a look at what's coming in 2009:
Finally Fantasy?
Square is saying that Final Fantasy XIII will release in 2009 in Japan. We'll wait and see if that one really comes to fruition, but at any rate we shouldn't expect it to cross over to other shores until 2010. Final Fantasy Versus XIII still does not have a projected release window, but expect to see one announced by summer.
Return of the King (dom Hearts)
While we haven't heard an awful lot about the two portable Kingdom Hearts games, they seem to be on track to release next year in Japan. The DS title 358/2 Days should make it overseas later in the year, but the chances of the same for PSP's Birth by Sleep are slim. After Tetsuya Nomura finishes with these titles, he will be turning his focus to finishing Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but don't be surprised if he doesn't drop some tidbit about the next console Kingdom Hearts game.
All Hail the Plumber
Nintendo's two gaming platforms have continued to reign supreme over the industry in 2008, and that trend doesn't appear to be fading away any time soon. Square, looking to capitalize on this success, has made the house that Mario built the primary home for all things Dragon Quest. In addition releasing DQ Swords on Wii earlier this year, Dragon Quest IX is coming to DS next March in Japan, and just recently Square announced that Dragon Quest X would be developed for the Wii. The other franchise that is staying cozy on Nintendo hardware is the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series. Recently announced FFCC Echoes of Time is landing on both Wii and DS next year, and despite not having heard any news whatsoever about it in well over a year, Square claims that FFCC Crystal Bearers is still in the works for Wii.
Tough Love for Sony
As mentioned before, Square has been a bit cold toward the PS3 of late, and that looks to continue into next year. However, with any luck, The Last Remnant will be released for the system, and that would be one more game that it currently has. In addition, though no announcement to this effect has been released, Star Ocean 4 will likely find a home on the PS3 sometime during the 3rd or 4th quarter of next year. On the PSP, prospects are better: the remake Star Ocean: Second Evolution arrives in January, and there's a fair chance that Dissidia: Final Fantasy will as well. Also, The Third Birthday and Final Fantasy Agito XIII, once cell phone projects, are now coming to PSP.
The Little XBox that Could
Microsoft's console has been distancing itself from Sony in the race for second place in the field of current gen consoles, and Square is definitely recognizing that. However, next year is looking a little thin on the console side in general, and the aforementioned Star Ocean 4 is the only title confirmed to be releasing. Final Fantasy XIII will be waiting in the wings for 2010, and don't be surprised to see Versus XIII make the jump to multiplatform.
What About Mistwalker?
What indeed. Ever since the release of Lost Odyssey this year, Hironobu Sakaguchi's studio has been rather quiet. Blue Dragon 2 and Cry On are still in development for the 360, but neither have solid release dates. However, one DS title, ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat, could finally make it to North America and Europe next year (it came out 2007 in Japan). However, the economic situation has not been kind to small development teams, so some of these projects may get pushed back.
Trailer Time: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Remember that DKΣ3713 show the Square put on back in August? Well they've finally decided to release some of the trailers that were shown in their infamous "Closed Mega Theater". The first is from Final Fantasy XIII:The second is the other console title in the Fabula Nova Crystallis collection, Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
[Source - RPG Squared]
Square Announces Dragon Quest X
Despite the fact that Dragon Quest IX isn't coming out in Japan until March, Square is already making plans for the next installment of the series. At today's news conference in Japan, they announced that Dragon Quest X is now in planned for development on the Nintendo Wii. No further details are confirmed, but you know we'll keep you posted.[Source - 1UP]
Release Day - Kingdom Hearts RE: Chain of Memories
Part of the Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix+ package that released in Japan, RE: Chain of Memories is a full 3D remake of the original CoM that released on the GBA. While Square decided not to release the full Final Mix+ collection outside Japan, they were nice enough to do a full English localization for the remake and made it a stand-alone game on the PS2 so all you KH fans who didn't buy the original portable version can enjoy the story that takes place between KHI and KHII. It hits stores today with an MSRP of $29.99.
Release Day: Chrono Trigger DS
Originally released on the SNES in 1995, Chrono Trigger is still regarded today as one of the greatest RPGs ever created. It would go on to be rereleased as part of Final Fantasy Chronicles on the PS1, and today it is released once again on the Nintendo DS. You can pick it for the MSRP of $39.99.
Release Day: The Last Remnant
Perhaps Square's biggest project for the holiday season, The Last Remnant ships to retailers in North America, Europe, and Japan today for the Xbox 360. It comes with an MSRP of $59.99.
Square Finally Clarifies the Future of FFCC Crystal Bearers
The "Rumor Mill" section of this month's EGM contains a tidbit (and not for the first time) about how Square had apparently "quietly cancelled" Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, the Wii title that went underground after last year's E3 and hasn't been heard from since.Instead of simply deferring comment on the matter like they usually do, Square PR Manager Sonia Im stepped up to issue a unambiguous smackdown of EGM's claim. The full text of the release is below:
While much of EGMs Rumor Mill contents end up being accurate, in this case the report is incorrect.
We have never announced that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers has been cancelled and have every intention of releasing it. There may be some concerns as a firm ship date has not been set but rest assured there will be an announcement once we finalize the date internally.
Although there are many Square Enix related rumors out there that we do not comment on, due to the feedback from the readers, we felt it was necessary to provide a statement to alleviate the worries of those who are looking forward to the game. The fan base that the Final Fantasy series has is appreciated by everyone at Square Enix (not only the developers) so we hope this statement will prevent any further spreading of the rumor.
We apologize for any unnecessary distress this rumor may have caused and hope the fans of the series can again look forward to the upcoming release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.
So there you have it: the game is still coming. Perhaps some more light will be shed on what has been going on with the project all this time soon.
[Source: EGM, GoNintendo]
Release Dates Ahoy!
Time to fire up that DS again: Square Enix just announced some release dates for North America, just to make sure we weren't thinking they would stop loving us after the holidays. First up is Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride. Like last September's release of DQIV, this will be the first time the game has been released stateside, and it lands on February 17. Next is Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (previously known as Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One), which will be coming out the following month on March 17.Speaking of release dates, The Last Remnant's debut on the 360 is just one week away, so start saving up those pennies, AMPers!
[Source - RPGamer]