Hot on the heels of Square Enix’s announcement of US and EU launch dates for the incoming Final Fantasy XIII is a confident boast by CEO Yoichi Wada that the latest incarnation of the venerable RPG series will easily become the best-selling title yet, even trouncing the exalted Final Fantasy VII.
Speaking at the Montreal International Game Summit, Wada-san clears up any pre-existing notions of FF XIII establishing anything groundbreaking like FF VII did — it is the thirteenth game in one of the longest-existing game franchises in history, after all.
Instead, the hopes for the game to sell well will rest with it bringing classic elements of Final Fantasy — an engaging storyline, solid characters, and drop-dead gorgeous graphics — to a more receptive Western audience.
"When we say that it is going to be the best selling title ever, the hurdle/bar is really high because of Final Fantasy VII sold 10 million units. So is it okay to think what you are going to be asking is that it is going to be selling a lot? [sic] And it’s not there are new elements that are included into the Final Fantasy XIII, there are elements that are included that is expected out of the Final Fantasy title itself, for example a beautiful story, it being emotional and moving and you’ll be able to relax and enjoy. Those are included, but there is not a lot of newness to it. But when we take a look at a lot of Western game titles recently it is based on the real-world most of them, and with regards to some of the artworks in a sense it might look new because it is based on a fantasy story."
Of course, Wada-san may only be touting his new product simply for the sake of PR; FF VII was a groundbreaking title that imparted an enormous impact on players with its absurdly advanced graphics engine and memorable characters. Seeing as FF XIII looks to continue that trend, it would need to garner significant favor among gamers worldwide in order to make any headway.
