Final Fantasy XIII series to last ten years

by Ross Miller { Apr 23rd 2007 at 8:30PM }

Square Enix is planning to make Final Fantasy XIII a decade-long franchise, according to FF Versus XIII producer Shinji Hashimoto. We already knew Square Enix was planning on spanning FFXIII much in the way it revisited Final Fantasy VII across multiple years and multiple consoles, but now we have a tentative timeline for how long the company plans to focus its effort on the series.

"Different from something like VII, which we expanded upon afterwards, with Fabula Nova Crystallis FFXIII, we've thought about an expansive world setting from the start," said Hashimoto in an interview with Nintendo Dream translated by IGN. "Under the idea of wanting everyone to be sucked into the world for 10 years, we're preparing a number of categories."

Hashimoto also classified four groups of developers working on four distinct aspects of the Final Fantasy series: the Nova Crystallis group, the Ivalice Alliance (Final Fantasy Tactics, Revenant Wings), the Crystal Chronicles group (that works "exclusively on Nintendo hardware," according to Nintendo Dream) and the MMO-centric Final Fantasy XI group.

Does this mean we'll be waiting until at least 2017 for Final Fantasy XIV? It's unclear, but regardless, we'll have to play nicely with XIII's characters for many years to come.

Tags: final fantasy, final fantasy xiii, FinalFantasy, FinalFantasyXiii, square enix, SquareEnix

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

N3k74r @ Apr 23rd 2007 8:39PM

What if FF13 sucks?

Jake11 @ Apr 23rd 2007 8:41PM

good point. but i hope the 360 gets some FF13 love

Raynre @ Apr 23rd 2007 8:41PM

10 years and a million yaoi fanfics later...

cheater @ Apr 23rd 2007 8:43PM

Hmm, can 360 will last to another 10 years?, after what they did with old xbox.

Rabish12 @ Apr 23rd 2007 8:46PM

It's worth noting that while the Fabula Nova Crystallis games are all going to be based in the same universe, they aren't going to be based on the same characters or worlds (in fact, so far none of the three announced games for the series are). We won't have to worry about "playing nicely" with XIII's characters, because XIII's characters aren't in Versus XIII, Agito XIII, or (more likely than not) the vast majority of the games in the series.

Bluebreaker @ Apr 23rd 2007 8:52PM

This might explain why all the games will have different characters and stories.

I'm more intrested in seeing what stays the SAME in "Fabula Nova Crystalis" from game to game.

If anything they'll release FFXIV yet down the line we'll get another chapter for FFXIII after.

Gavin @ Apr 23rd 2007 8:52PM

Wait a second...a video game company milking a franchise and getting blood from a turnip? In other news, if you stare at the sun you will see a bright light in the sky.

vidGuy @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:02PM

Actually this is kind of cool. It looks like the different games will be set in different parts of the same world, which is a pretty neat idea. Expansive environments lend themselves to multiple intersecting stories.

Of course, Square Enix should consider releasing the main games on platforms other than the already-dying-PS3 if they are looking for this kind of longevity.

synce @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:11PM

I wish Final Fantasy would just die, along with Mario and all this gay shit that gets milked to hell and back. What an over fucking saturated market. If this trend continues there will only be 5 or 6 franchises left in about 20 years, one for each genre... or something like that. I'm going to go slash my wrists now.

Sizer @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:13PM

Boy, you'd think they'd want to know they had a VII or a XII before committing to this, and not a VIII. Of course I imagine this is all subject to turning on a dime, Macross Style.

Jon @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:25PM

I hate to say this but isn't this already known when they compared the FFXIII series to the FFVII series?

Joshua @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:35PM

"What?!" was my outloud reaction, spoken at "yelling" volumes.

This is pretty huge, but it really makes someone like me, who only got into RPGs in the late '90s and on Nintendo platforms, really stand before the FF series as something very hard to get into at this point. I'd like to play the previous games first, but since there are about 100 (plus or minus 1000) games in the series, I really don't know where to start.

Square-Enix just better be sure they're not just throwing random crap out the door with XIII, or the series really will start to enter a decline.

This is just freaking insane. 10 years?! One game?! And as others are wondering, what will happen with XIV+?

Man, where do I start with this series...? =/

Kinjor @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:36PM

This worries me. What if XIII's world is like VIII (SEED!). I mean that was a really bad world to milk for four to five games.

Also, who actually liked the FF VII spin off games and movies? I like how he said, "Different from something like VII, which we expanded upon afterwards, with Fabula Nova Crystallis FFXIII, we've thought about an expansive world setting from the start," because in all honestly some the VII spin-offs seemed ad-hoc.

bounchfx @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:37PM

8 was awesome, fucker. as good if not better than 7, but of course that is my opinion ;P.

Anyway, I sure as hell hope there isn't a 14 until all the XIII series is done. How about some new IP games that take chances.

either way I don't care. just not another ff9 ;P bahah.

but seriously, I really like what they did to 12, and hope they experiment with more different things instead of each game being more or less the same.

comtar @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:42PM

So it will become Kingdom Hearts with no noticeable ending in sight and 3 billion characters to follow?

Darwin @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:51PM

The FF games never had any continuity... now it will. I think this is a good thing.

samfish @ Apr 23rd 2007 9:54PM

I could say something snarky like, "Like the PS3 and it's 10 year plan, FFXIII too will suck for 10 years"
...but I won't.

Unlike the other Final Fantasy games since 7, this game had better be REAL damn good or Square is kinda screwed.

...well...maybe not. If it sucks, they could always say,"Huh? OH! Did we say 10 years? Oh no. no no nonononono. We meant 10 MONTHS. Months."

Dan @ Apr 23rd 2007 10:07PM

I for one am utterly dismayed by this.
I love final fantasy the way it is, (except for the abomination that was XI, but that doesn't count, because it was an mmo)

Say hello to Final Fantasy XIII-1, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and so on.

Its just a pathetic excuse to stop innovating and churn out sequels based on the same engine, and not having to actual make a new game.

dsub @ Apr 23rd 2007 10:08PM

wow. Just what gaming needs. A decade of updates of the same game. Of course, at the rate that SE pumps out games, within 10 years we should see what? 2 or 3 games?

Kaemon @ Apr 23rd 2007 10:21PM

So... with the rate Square makes FF games... like... 4 games? Huh?

bounchfx @ Apr 23rd 2007 10:49PM

I think it's kind of silly that even before people see what they do they are judging S-E, I mean, sure, whatever, but maybe, just maybe, they wont all be the same game? yeesh

Hiroken @ Apr 23rd 2007 11:04PM

Sorry if this pisses anyone off, but everyone who thinks this is a BAD thing is sorely misguided and probably a hypocrite.

Let's recap:
For the past 18 years, Square/SquarEnix has been making what can essentially be summed up as the same game. They do it very well, but I-X have the same basic premise and mechanics.

I personally LOVE the FF series, even (read: especially) VIII and XI, so you might discredit me right there, but I have good reasons for loving them and this isn't the proper forum for that. Me loving them is relevant because I've played and beaten all of them (excluding X-2), as well as kept up-to-date on SE news for going on 9 years.

For the last six or so of those years, ALL I'VE HEARD IS PEOPLE BITCHING ABOUT SE DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Think back, you'll remember it (and possibly doing it if you can step outside yourself).

So:
Now, SE is doing something new and different. They're reinventing RPG's (again) and setting the bar. I predicted after FFX that FFXIII would be the last in the series. This is because most (if not all) of the people who created it are gone, doing other things. So, as much as I love Final Fantasy, I thought it best to retire it while its named remained relatively untarnished.

While this isn't retirement, this is essentially a new, ongoing franchise. This is GOOD because now we can fondly remember the FF many of us fell in love with and if we don't like where the series goes, it's minimally associated with it. Get it now? This is good.

I, for one, am psyched for Fabula Nova Crysalis and to see what the best people of Square Enix can offer.

flamecannon @ Apr 23rd 2007 11:34PM

Sounds like an interesting concept from a story telling perspective. One epic storyline, spread across different worlds, focusing on the different characters who contribute to one more important whole...If done well, I'm totally on board.

jaysins @ Apr 24th 2007 12:04AM

Could be one of the coolest things done in games to date, or could suck. Though not a huge fan of the past few final fantasies (haven't played XII yet) I have faith in square enix and think a lot of thought has been put into this.

Ellory @ Apr 24th 2007 2:02AM

I remember my first experience with this beloved game series. My aunt's boyfriend had finished FF III on SNES (it's actually FF VI in the proper numerical continuum) and he said I could have it. I got involved with the amazing story and characters and was absolutely hooked. I moved on to FF VII when it came out on PS1 and it lived up to its hype. It was beautiful and well written. Then came the travesty that is FF VIII. Guardian Forces suck. So after hating that game I crawled back and gathered together some of the classic packages, that came out for PS1 and enjoyed playing those older games. So when FF IX came out I found myself enjoying the series again. Then it happened. It didn't seem possible but FF X was the absolute best Final Fantasy game ever. As much as I enjoyed VII and IX, I always felt like the story of FF VI was the absolute best. FF X had first class graphics, a movie quality story, and extremely fun gameplay.

Having said that, I feel like the games have fallen off since then. Too much trying to reinvent the wheel. X-2, I may have played with my cousin's Barbie's when I was 3 but turning FF into dress up time is not okay with me. I'm all for girl power in games and new cosplay outfits but this is not exactly the way to express that, I mean the whole map is open and an airship is available from the beginning. XI is a crime... should have been FF online and not the official 11th volume. FF XII is trying to play off that MMORPG thing too much. Honestly, I play RPG's like these because I don't want to play with a lot of other gamers in a constantly evolving world. I want a linear main story, with fun side quests and games that I can complete all on my own without paying a monthly fee. Don't give me a primer game that plays to the MMORPG crowd but is still boxed, give me a well written story and characters I care about.

This idea of a decade long game is intriguing. I hope it's good, I hope that its an innovation that doesn't hurt the series. If they can keep these games interesting for that length of time, I think this series could outlive the hardware of current gen systems. I'm going to take a wait and see approach.

P.S.
Get Chrono Trigger on VC now Square Enix!

Hiroken @ Apr 24th 2007 2:18AM

I'm sorry, but please- PLEASE- don't say VIII was a bad game. Say you didn't like it if you didn't, but VIII was an excellent game in terms of story, characters, graphics, music, and gameplay. The Draw/GF/Junction system was AWESOME if you paid attention and used it well.

mike @ Apr 24th 2007 2:21AM

I personally LOVE the FF series, even (read: especially) VIII and XI,
--

Stopped reading right there. I should have stopped when you said FF didn't change from 1 through 10

Hiroken @ Apr 24th 2007 2:36AM

I didn't say they didn't change. I said they had the same basic premise/structure.

a. Have random encounters
b Save the world from oblvion

ie, every other RPG.

And VIII and XI are both quality titles. They simply have a steeper learning curve and require more patience.

But, thanks for being respectful in your opinion regardless ^^

~

Michael Wilson @ Apr 24th 2007 3:16AM

To #27: FF8 had what I would consider fun game play.

Now, before FF8, being a kid, I had never really disliked a story. FF8 was the first piece of media that I ever dealt with where I honestly said "Ugh... that plot twist was awful." I'm not saying FF8 was a bad game, and I certainly don't mean to question your taste or offend anyone, but FF8's story was, IMHO, bad enough that it made me realize that not all stories were actually good. I think a large number of people feel this way as well, which is why it is so widely criticized.

Vidikron @ Apr 24th 2007 10:28AM

@18
[Its just a pathetic excuse to stop innovating and churn out sequels based on the same engine, and not having to actual make a new game. ]

I don't really agree with that. Even if they were to continue as normal and create new worlds for each new game, they could still re-use the same engine. So that complaint really doesn't hold up very well. And with a 10-year plan, it will almost certainly extend to the next generation where they will have to create a new engine anyway. BTW, didn't they license to the U3 engine?

Anyway, all they are saying is they are going to make several story lines in the same world. Isn't that like pretty much every other series out there (in any genre)? I don't see what the big deal is here other than it's different for the FF series.

Alex Belancourt @ Apr 24th 2007 12:57PM

Crystal Chronicles Wii better be MMO >:(

The whole idea is interesting imo, an epic so big it takes 10 years of sequels to experience it fully. At least they gave a deadline to when all the milking will stop. Hopefully they know how to hold a gamer's attention span for that long

Hiroken @ Apr 24th 2007 1:25PM

@ #30

Insightful response ^^

Yeah, even though I thought the game was wonderful I think a lot of people thought the plot was sub-par--hence, the myriad of FFVIII complaints we hear today. I can't argue with that--I liked the plot (and loved the characters, which probably helped a lot) but not everyone has to (or should).

It just gets me when people way it was a "bad game" when it isn't by any means, so thanks for clarifying.

And I have to agree with #26-- although I do love and still play FFXI (There are better MMOs out there, but none where I can raise my own Chocobo!!) but I agree it should have been FF:Online and not taken the number XI.

~

randomshinichi @ Apr 24th 2007 1:50PM

The horror! The horror!

Sidepocket @ Apr 24th 2007 3:28PM

Damn you FF VII fanboys! Now they are going to span more MTV Emo crap for 10 years!

10 years...wasent Advent Rising supose to be a trilogy? -,-;

Defenestrator2.0 @ Apr 24th 2007 5:15PM

So they're making sequels....off of a sequel. Now I've seen everything.

Rubang B @ Apr 24th 2007 5:19PM

This reminds me of the Jackie Chan movie Police Story 3 Part 2.

TJ @ Apr 24th 2007 7:50PM

Square enix has ruined the Final Fantasy name. Back when it was squaresoft it seemed like they actually care about making good games, now they just flood the market with sequels and bad ideas hoping they'll sell on name alone. Not they they will sell anyway, even if every ps3 owner buys them, they still only sell like twelve copies.

stellarburn @ Apr 30th 2007 5:45PM

Not really unique. Look at pen and paper RPGs. They're all different stories taking place in the same world. The same concept came to computer RPGs with DnD based games such as Baldur's Gate.

Not to mention that's its basically a rehashed single player version of the persistent world we see in MMORPGs.

D @ May 15th 2007 8:20AM

wow, they havent even released the game yet and now they're talking about makeing squeals, for get that. do they really thing if you slap a sticker on the side of a game calling it a Final Fantasy, we will buy the game without thinging about it - no i wont.

the days of great games are over - long over, when you sit down with ff7, 8, and 9 you relises its a great made product with radom battles and turn based combat.

when you sit down with ffx2 and ffxii, you think oh my god i just wasted £40 on this crap, i'll return it and get my money back. Square can suck a lemmon - i've learned my lession.

ten years of the same crapy location - how dumb is this, its so easy to make a game with fifferent charecters and same location.

also its so easy to make a game with out turn based combat and random battle - for this square will not get any of my money and final fantasy Vii will always be Square Ace in the hole.

Square will on remake FF7 when they go bankcrupt and i'll probaly be 30 yeatrs out when that happens and i wont give a flying **** at that age.