Final Fantasy XIII Announcement Teased For Nov 13th

A few days ago, Square Enix left a cryptic message on the official Final Fantasy XIII website, which said 'A Henchmen Inventor Tent Unto'.

Fortunately, some Final Fantasy XIII fans have been able to decipher the message, and have come up with a plausible message 'Announcement Nov Thirteenth'. Now, this might be completely wrong, but it's the best anyone's come up with so far.

Rumours are that it hints towards a Final Fantasy XIII release date for the West, which we really hope is true and I'm sure you all do too. Be sure to check back on the 13th of November to find out what the fuss is all about, if that is indeed what the message meant.

Square Enix: Final Fantasy XIII Could Be Delayed Further

In a meeting with Japanese press to discuss their financial forecast, Square Enix Holdings were quizzed about both Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy XIII. Both are obviously huge titles from an investors standpoint, and the answers given weren't exactly endearing.

When asked specifically about whether Final Fantasy XIII will be released within this fiscal year, the following reply was given:

"God knows. ... Is the truth (laughs). I'll try!"

So, although the Final Fantasy XIII demo issued Winter 2009 as the prospective Japanese release date, it looks like it might not even appear until after April 2010. Definitely not good news for Western gamers.

Final Fantasy XIII Potentially Delayed Until 2011 In Europe?

Yesterday, Yoichi Wada (President of Square Enix) fielded questions about Final Fantasy XIII's future release date due to the delay of Dragon Quest IX and the news wasn't necessarily good. The purpose of this article is to analyse what his statements actually mean from a consumer's perspective as it probably isn't good news on the whole.

Dragon Quest IX was supposed to come out in the fiscal year of 2009. Fiscal years run from April to March, so the Fiscal year of 2009 runs from April 08 to March 09. What this means is that Dragon Quest IX is now going to be released in the fiscal year of 2010, when Final Fantasy XIII was scheduled to come out. Square Enix had planned for them to come out in different fiscal years, as they are the company's prospective biggest earning titles and would produce the largest amount of revenue. However, DQIX's delay has scuppered these plans.

More after the jump.

Final Fantasy XIII Could Be Delayed Even Further

Speaking at a financial briefing today, Yoichi Wada was asked to give answers regarding Dragon Quest IX's delay, and thus, how it could affect Final Fantasy XIII.

While Wada was dismissive of the question, he did say that it has it may influence certain decisions they have to make. He couldn't confirm or deny the rumour though, which has lead to speculation that it actually has some weight.

"We've yet to finalize our plans for the next term, so I cannot say for sure if there will or will not be an effect, but Dragon Quest's release being March or July changes the premise. I can't say that there won't be an influence."

Wada: No Final Fantasy XIII Before April 2010

Square Enix have announced that Final Fantasy XIII will be released at some point during 2009, but people were really curious about when Final Fantasy XIII would actually be hitting in North America and Europe.

During an interview with Reuters, Yoichi Wada (the president of Square Enix) announced that Square Exix had enjoyed good sales throughout the year, but that they will be releasing Final Fantasy XIII after April 2010 in order to make the sales count towards the following fiscal year.

While it's important to keep Square Enix's investors happy, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth for gamers in the west, as they have to wait so that Square Enix can satisfy their share holders.