Square Enix: Crystal Tools A Mistake

Speaking to GameInformer in a post Final Fantasy XIII release interview, Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Final Fantasy XIII, has revealed that creating the Crystal Tools engine for Final Fantasy XIII was a mistake.

Kitase stated that due to the amounts of refinement an engine has to go through, it would have been a lot easier and quicker if they had just worked with existing technology. With the game being in development for 5 years, it certainly hinders Square-Enix as a company.

With the Crystal Tools engine being made for multiplatform games, extending the development time of their titles by a substantial amount, it's a wonder whether Square-Enix will continue to use this method in the future, or whether they will use existing engines as Kitase has suggested.

One thing's for sure, the development time for Final Fantasy titles needs to be cut if Square-Enix are to attain a more reliable profit. It's also not a bad route to take if fans of the series are getting the games faster in future.