Square Enix producer Yoshinore Kitase has told
VideoGamer.com that Square Enix has "no plan" to release a disc-based demo for
Final Fantasy XIII in the States. The demo, bundled with certain copies of the Blu-ray release of
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, thrust PS3 to the
top of the Japanese sales charts, and became the best-selling
anime Blu-ray in Japan. While including a demo with the
upcoming US release of the movie seems like a no-brainer, Kitase explained that a PS3-exclusive demo would be unfair to the Western audience that's also expecting an Xbox 360 demo. "We are going to carry on with the project alongside the Xbox version, so we really can't just make it available only for the PS3," he explained.
Kitase then noted that the company "would like to check" on the possibility of a downloadable demo. We're certain the logistics behind delivering
a 5GB demo to the PSN/XBL masses will be quite difficult to figure out.
{ May 6th 2009 at 1:45PM } 
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
stephen2005 @ May 6th 2009 1:49PM
Ok, well maybe FF XIII on the 360 does cause some problems for us PS3 owners.
I want my XIII demo dammit!!!
Xoonaka @ May 6th 2009 2:01PM
Yeah, I'm right there with you. Damn, if the sure to happen delay isn't bad enough, now I can't even play the freaking demo....
I most certainly hope the president overrides him on this. "Screw you and your 'fairness'! I want to sell more copies of Advent Children!"
jsut @ May 6th 2009 2:06PM
Here you go mate:
http://www.fileplanet.com/128795/120000/fileinfo/XIII-Demo
Archon (PSN: Archonik, XBL: DarkARHN) @ May 6th 2009 2:09PM
@jsut: +1
:D:D:D:D:D
BlackDove @ May 6th 2009 2:58PM
Release it on the Xbox 360 too, they said....
It won't hurt anyone, they said...
Jack Tretton @ May 6th 2009 3:06PM
Go cry in your Nestle's Quik, BlackDove.
atrimus @ May 6th 2009 3:13PM
why does it seem that when companies talk about multiplatform and fairness, the PS3 is the one getting the shaft? DMC4, FFXIII, Tekken 6, they're all from companies who preach multiplatform and fairness to bitter PS3 owners, yet do an about-face when it comes to Lost Planet 2, Star Ocean IV and Ace Combat. if a PS3 Blu-ray demo of FFXIII can be done in the US, then do it. it's better to screw just one audience than to screw two.
Hedgeson @ May 6th 2009 3:37PM
I thought the XBOX 360 version would only start after the PS3 version is finished. Did they change their minds?
If they wait for a 360 demo, it will take a good long while...
Araskaz @ May 6th 2009 4:05PM
Exactly.
Come on Sony!! This is your chance!! Please pay SE some moola to put out the demo with the bluray! It'll make PS3 sales go up up up!!
injate @ May 6th 2009 4:57PM
Online petition for those wanting to support a USA demo included on FFAC Blu-Ray:
http://www.petitiononline.com/FFX13Blu/petition.html
Richard @ May 6th 2009 7:06PM
Does anyone know if the demo will work if you import it? Do import games work on a US PS3 but imported bluray movies dont?
dgknight500 @ May 7th 2009 12:03PM
Honestly I didn't care when the PS3 lost exclusivity, but mother f-ing dammit M$!!!!!!
If the US version get delayed b/c they have to port it to the 360, then so help me god.... I'll egg Gates' house!
Hedgeson @ May 7th 2009 12:30AM
Games are region free on PS3, it should work.
NaeemTHM @ May 6th 2009 1:51PM
I can't wait for Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children: The Milking
On topic, SWEET! I really hope Kitase brings some sort of demo to the West. One of my friends imported the Blu-Ray and said the Demo was awesome.
I remember buying Dragon Quest VIII for the FFXII demo. Man what a disappointment. DQ8 ended up being, in my opinion, a far better game than FFXII.
Tim Parsons @ May 6th 2009 2:13PM
did the movie itself still have english spoken? or was everything movie and demo totally non-english. I ask cuz I wanna import it too but will only do so if the movie as an english track
Cidi @ May 6th 2009 2:52PM
The main movie has English Audio as option, but there are no English subtitles. The Bonus stuff so the On the way to smile OVA is Japanese only, same goes for the Demo, although in regards for playing the demo it`s easy to figure out what you have to do even if you don`t speak Japanese.
Tim Parsons @ May 6th 2009 3:24PM
same here DQ8 was one of the best PS2 gen RPGs, FFXII was a major dissappointment in all ways. I'm still rather turned off that the battle system in XIII is some what simular. Bring back traditional Turned-based damnit.
gmoya90 @ May 7th 2009 5:01AM
yeah demo was awesome but to short! less then 10 min >.< depends how fast you get the hang of battle system then for sure 10 min ^^
i imported it ^^ and also yeah i remmeber i buy dragon quest IV and sold it on ebay and keep the demo FF12 lol
Rick Lee @ May 6th 2009 1:52PM
already causing further problems. can you even have 5 gig stuff on xbox live? i dont think so.
DeepFriedSushi @ May 6th 2009 2:32PM
i think demos are unrestricted from file restrictions from 360 but you think its all good for PSN? square enix will have to pay sony truckloads for bandwidth usage, there is probably more liability on bringing the demo on psn than on live.
joeybeast @ May 6th 2009 3:02PM
MS will have to accommodate the 5 gig demo, otherwise PSN will have an exclusive.
Snowblind @ May 6th 2009 3:31PM
The file size restrictions you're thinking of only apply to XBLA games, and they've since been lifted.
Besides, Microsoft bent a lot of their own rules to get Final Fantasy XI onto the 360, I'm sure they wouldn't be opposed to putting up a rather large demo for XIII to stop Sony from getting an exclusive. But that's obviously not what this is about.
Vidikron @ May 6th 2009 1:52PM
"Unfair" is a bullshit excuse. I'm sure most PS3 users would view it as "unfair" that they have to wait for the 360 version when they could have the demo, and the game, much sooner. So either way one group is potentially going to view it as unfair. At least by packaging a demo with the movie you can increase your movie sales in the US. 360-only owners are going to have to wait either way.
Noshino @ May 6th 2009 2:22PM
Square's support towards PS3 owners has been awful this generation.
Its great that they don't want 360 owners to get the short end of the stick
But what about the PS3 owners? where were they when they promised PS3 owners the exclusivity of FF13? or when they promised that TLR would be released simultaneously worldwide?
What about PS3 owners getting the short end of the stick now that FF13 is multiplatform? is it really fair to have to wait until the other version is finished?
If you want to be fair, be fair to everyone, not just a selected group, otherwise its freaking pointless, and as a matter of fact, makes you look rather bad.
Draken Stark @ May 6th 2009 3:02PM
The Mags could have the demo, that would be an easy thing to do for both parties. Demo with the movie could still happen for PS3 owners. What's the big deal?
Note: I have wii, 360, and a PS3
DeepFriedSushi @ May 6th 2009 8:11PM
what he's doing is so ingenious, ps3 fanboys blame MS and xbox fanboys feel like they're not getting left out.
some how he has completely dodged all liability when its probably up to square to make a localized demo or reduce the file size though compression.
Lars @ May 7th 2009 2:41PM
Good point. I hope they release a demo on the Japanese PSN at least.
I don't see a 5GB DL as a problem. I bought Burnout on PSN, that was like 4GB I think. It wouldn't be fair to those of us with high bandwidth, to hold it back due to other people not having good enough bandwidth
LaughingTarget @ May 6th 2009 1:52PM
That wouldn't exactly be the biggest demo yet, it isn't all that hard to figure out. The only difficult part is to get Microsoft to get it uploaded without screwing it up (looking at you, Broken Steel).
Noshino @ May 6th 2009 2:22PM
I apologize LaughinTarget, that was a reply to Vidi's.
Heavytoka @ May 6th 2009 1:52PM
I hope they can get a demo out
Markez @ May 6th 2009 1:53PM
Agreed, Yoon, seems like a no brainer. Don't quite understand why they don't see it as fair if they were to only do a PS3 demo disc, that'd be easy money. Really easy money, like selling magical pancakes for a buck a flapjack. Really don't get this decision.
Feels like this game has been in development forever, and I keep getting less and less interested.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ May 6th 2009 1:54PM
Unfair my ass....cut the bullshit and just Release it on Blu-ray like they did in Japan...is it our fault they decided to go multiplatfom??
Duke @ May 6th 2009 2:59PM
Grrrr! I am so angry! Grrrr!
JXCgunrunna @ May 6th 2009 5:33PM
Its Sony's fault that their platform cant sell enough to make FF13 profitable as an exclusive.
the PS2 shipped about 135 million and FF12 sold just over 5 million. thats about 3.7 percent. so lets round that to 4. the PS3 has shipped 23 million and thats being a little gracious. 4% of 23 is 9. so if FF13 sold 9 million at $60 a pop u get 54 million dollars. they said this game was originally going to be done on the PS2 so development had started around 2005. by the time they are done making the international version it will be at the earliest 2010. the teams that do big games like Final fantasy have about 200 people on them. so 200 people over 5 years is 1000 dollars times their average salary. in 2007 the average american dev salary was 73,000. square's A team has to be higher than that. even if it was only 73,000 now u have total salary cost of 730,000,000. that doesnt include the other expenses either.
this is all researched data so i hope u guys can see y it had to be multiplatform to be profitable.
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ May 6th 2009 5:36PM
my bad...so the PS2 was JUST in its 3rd year and had sold that many units???
Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ May 6th 2009 5:38PM
oh and Square has gone on record as saying that part of the reason they take so long IS so they can save on cost...
JXCgunrunna @ May 6th 2009 5:42PM
i meant to add a zero to the 54 million. it should be 540 million.
they have to save on costs cuz it wouldnt have sold that well on the PS3 alone
MarioSpitza @ May 6th 2009 6:16PM
Square has said they're taking so long to save on cost? Source, please.
I'm asking for a source because that makes absolutely no sense at all.
DeepFriedSushi @ May 6th 2009 8:14PM
if you look exclusively at the US market ps3 compared to the 360 is doing quite poorly. so to maximize sales you definitely would not want to alienate the bigger userbase.
USA 360: 16+ million
USA PS3: 7 million
ElStefio @ May 6th 2009 10:14PM
@ JXCgunrunna
4% of 23 is 9...?
DaveMcRae the Haiku Artist @ May 6th 2009 1:54PM
I'm a sucker for FF. I will pay 270 Euro for this game.... damnit.
dabamf @ May 6th 2009 1:55PM
Maybe I'm just not that bright, but I just don't understand how this game is supposed to work on the 360. The demo is 5GB? That's over half a DVD! Disc switching seems draconian to me in this day and age, so maybe Square is looking at everyone downloading the game to their 360 HDD? That's a major chunk of space, no? Again, if someone knows how this will work, please enlighten me.
NaeemTHM @ May 6th 2009 1:58PM
DUH!
For the 360 version of the game, Square will release a Final Fantasy branded Blu-Ray add on called the PS3.
dreadnought1 @ May 6th 2009 1:58PM
I was thinking the same thing. It must be on multiple discs on the 360. 3 or 4 maybe?
shirox @ May 6th 2009 2:03PM
Demo is not 5 GB itself, that number included a PS3 firmware update over 200MB and two huge trailers, remove all that and you are looking at around 1.6 GB
Xoonaka @ May 6th 2009 2:04PM
It's not that draconian if you're used to doing JRPGs on 360. I've played a couple already that are 3-4 discs each. It's only really "draconian" if you buy into the Blu-Ray format for more content or if you think games should be shorter, which seems to be a growing opinion in the West.
Either way, they're definitely doing multi-disk.
BunnySlapper @ May 6th 2009 2:07PM
Several 360 games are multi-disc, this is not new (Lost Odyssey as one example).
Switching discs seems draconian to you? Being forced to open the tray and trade out a disc is 'cruel and unfair'? How do you figure?
Nearly every console generation on CD/DVD has had this, why now is it suddenly burdensome for you?
Archon (PSN: Archonik, XBL: DarkARHN) @ May 6th 2009 2:08PM
@dabamf: I guess, they'll reencode and downscale the cutscenes and CGI. There, problem solved. It's not like the game engine takes all that space.
The data will HAVE to be compressed, compared to the PS3 version unless we want to swap discs just to view the cut-scenes - that's a no-brainer.
Vidikron @ May 6th 2009 2:18PM
At least if you have the 120GB hard drive you should be able to rip the entire game to the hard drive. I plan on getting the PS3 version, but if was buying the 360 version I'd also be planning to rip it.
Dopple Boppler @ May 6th 2009 2:19PM
Back in the PS1 days I always liked buying the Final Fantasy games and getting three or four discs. Not only did it make me feel like I was getting a ton of content for my money, but I always felt like I was making huge progress when I made it to the next disc.
So yeah, I don't see why having to swap once every 15 hours (or longer) is such a big a deal.