Thanks to a Japanese ad for Final Fantasy XIII, we now know the official release date for the game in Japan, which beforehand was given a vague Winter 2009 estimated release date in Japan.
The game will be released on December 17, 2009 in Japan. No word on the finalized North American and European release dates, which are both set for sometime in Spring 2009.
The official website has yet to reveal this information (still shows the Winter 2009) date, so it is likely this ad was leaked earlier than Square Enix was expecting.
Alongside the flurry of news coming from Square Enix's press briefing today is news that the company will be revealing the official Japanese release date for the game in the next few weeks.
Square Enix had previously announced a vague Winter 2009 release date for the eagerly awaited role-playing game. This year's Tokyo Game Show is in a few weeks, so it is likely the company will be revealing the release date there.
The same Square Enix exec stated that the game's development was going favorably, for all those who might be worried about the game.
While a prospective time-frame for Final Fantasy Dissidia's release was touted at the recent DKΣ3713 event, Square Enix wouldn't specify anything other than December 2008.
They have now decided to be more specific and announced that Final Fantasy Dissidia will be released in Japan on the 18th of December, just in time for Christmas. Square Enix have also announced that the game will retail for ¥6,090.