Rumour: Final Fantasy Versus XIII is dead

If you are a Final Fantasy fan and have been anxious to get some sort of update on the development and release date of the PlayStation 3 exclusive title Final Fantasy Versus XIII, we have a bad news for you.

According to an alleged report from Kotaku, Square Enix has cancelled the project and folded back its development and resources to utilise them in the development of another title, most likely Final Fantasy XV.

Citing sources, though keeping their identity anonymous, Kotaku reported the company had quietly cancelled the game several weeks back with the intended motivation of allowing it to fade away. The developer and publisher of the game is allegedly refraining from making an official announcement regarding the game’s cancellation in order to avoid negative reaction, as well as protect the company stock prices from declining.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII had been announced by Square Enix six years back, the same time when Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0 had been announced. While the development of the latter-two titles has already been completed, the title in question experienced a number of delays before reports about it entering full-development mode emerged last September.

Square Enix remained conspicuously silent on the progress of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, with the only time it got mentioned since entering its “full-development mode” was in May when game designer Tetsuya Nomura stated during an interview with Game Informer that, “We would like to ask for your patience on an official announcement for this title. It always takes time when tackling the challenge of doing something completely new, but we are doing our best to bring information to the fans as quickly as we can. Your patience is greatly appreciated.”

To make the fate of the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy title seem even more uncertain, the game was prominently missing from the list of titles that the publisher had revealed during its Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conference and floor show in Los Angeles last month. This followed the game’s absence from last year’s Tokyo Game Show, something that had come off as a huge surprise and disappointment for fans who had been really desperate to find out more about the game’s progress.

Square Enix has refused to comment on the reports regarding the cancellation of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. However, the company is expected to make the future of game clearer at the upcoming Final Fantasy 25^th Anniversary event, where the announcement regarding the third spin-off to the Final Fantasy XIII game is certain.

One more thing to look forward to is the upcoming Tokyo Game Show. If Final Fantasy Versus XIII remains absent from the event this year, then there would be very little reason to doubt reports that Square Enix has indeed shut the project down.