Final Fantasy Type-0 launching within the next year
Final Fantasy Type-0 is expected to launch within the next year, Square Enix confirmed to Joystiq during a hands-off demo of the game at PAX Prime. The HD port of the Japan-only PSP game is a "speedy, action-oriented" spin on the series' formula, featuring real-time battles with 14 playable characters, three of which were shown in the demo. "We probably wouldn't age another year until it's released," the game's director Hajime Tabata said. Type-0's move to PS4 and Xbox One was announced at E3 in June.
Tabata stressed that Final Fantasy Type-0 is approaching a more mature tone in comparison to other games in the series, including magic and special abilities acting as "devastating attacks" that can cause enemies to burn to death, for example. Additionally, much of the feedback Square Enix received after launching the game in Japan revolved around its steep difficulty. To alleviate those concerns, the developer implemented four difficulty modes and tuned the combat balance so the HD port "makes sense for the big screen," Tabata explained.
Square Enix initially considered bringing the PSP version of the game to the west after its 2011 launch, but saw a declining PSP market and thought otherwise. "After we released the Japanese version, and then it would go into localization, the U.S. PSP market at the time was kind of shrinking," Tabata said. "It wasn't the best time for us to garner the best results. So that was the biggest reason why we had to forgo the PSP version for the overseas market." The publisher did think about creating a version of the game for Vita before opting to port it to Xbox One and PS4, though making Type-0 more compatible with the Vita via Remote Play is an option Tabata is considering.
Tabata believed a bigger screen would be a better fit for the game. Given that development for Final Fantasy 15 moved to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One around the middle of 2012, Tabata's involvement with that game and the knowledge of those consoles made them a more natural target for Type-0 when development on that began a little later. Square Enix is also invested in pushing for the success of both consoles in Japan, and sees Final Fantasy 15 as a big factor in that.
"We really do want the PS4 and Xbox One install base to grow in Japan as well. So we do want a release as quickly as possible," he added.
[Image: Square Enix]
