Square Enix "clears up" its FF for 360 stance

One Square Enix rep believes that the future still may hold possibilities for Final Fantasy to appear on Xbox 360, but Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter isn't nearly as optimistic.

By Eugene Huang

Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto kicked up a lot of dust earlier this week after making certain statements regarding his company's plans of producing Final Fantasy-branded titles on the Xbox 360. As GamePro had reported on Wednesday, the producer was quoted as saying "As for Final Fantasy on the Xbox 360, it's currently a completely blank page," leading some observers to speculate that the company has no future plans to produce FF titles for Microsoft's next-gen console.

Representatives from Square Enix were quick to clarify those statements, however, as a piece today from GamesIndustry.biz reported one Squeenix spokesperson as saying, "Hashimoto-san was talking about the current situation." Although no further elaboration was made, the spokesperson's comments do not rule out the possibility of a future deal being made.

However, noted analyst Michael Pachter from Wedbush Morgan Securities was also quick to give his take on the situation, stating that Square Enix has a difficult decision to make in choosing between worldwide success and appeasing their home country.

"Square Enix faces a dilemma," Pachter writes. "Put the next game on the 360 only and alienate Japanese fans, depart with tradition and make it multi-platform, or go with PS3 as an exclusive and deal with the backlash from the west."

Ultimately, Pachter believes that the company will stay close to its roots.

"I view Square Enix as a tradition-bound company, and expect the last alternative to be chosen," the analyst concluded.

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