Square-Enix enters into license with Unreal Engine 3

You know you've created an amazing engine/toolset in the West when Japanese bigshots like Square-Enix want to "expedite [their] game development process significantly." These words come from Taku Murata, general manager of R&D at Square-Enix, who also said that the licensing with Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 will allow "extra time and resources to be spent on game design and mechanics by establishing an effective technology platform."

Hooray, so maybe this is why there are rumors of Final Fantasy XIII being released before the end of 2007, as well as a demo of the game? It's worth a guess... depends how you interpret: "Since this is the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy, we have a surprise we'd like to keep for our fans until the end of the year."

[via Joystiq]