Squaresoft to Release Final Fantasy IX in Europe – but when?
FInal Fantasy IX is confirmed for europe - but no release date set
After the storming success of Final Fantasy 7 and 8, European games are eager to get their hands on Final Fantasy IX. But Japanese developers Squaresoft have yet to assign a European release date. With the Christmas rush rapidly approaching, no confirmation has been given from Square that the game will be released this year.
Squaresoft released the latest instalment of the multi-million selling series, Final Fantasy IX to an eager role-playing audience in mid-July. The game will be the final outing on PS1 for the 30,000,000 selling series. Final Fantasy X and XI for PS2 are already under development.
In Japan FF IX Pre-orders broke past records, with some punters queuing for days at Japan’s video game capital Akihabara. Over one million gamers pre-ordered the game, attempting to ensure their copy of the four-disc epic. Jun Iwasaki, president of Square Electronic Arts responded to the phenomenal sales of the Japanese launch. "We are delighted to go out with a bang this year on the PlayStation, and look forward to similar success with the U.S. launch as we had in Japan." There was no mention of Europe in their release strategy, despite a PlayStation user base of almost 25 million units.
It wasn’t until 1997 that Europe got it first glimpse of the series, Final Fantasy VII. Hype was built to enormous levels, with magazines throwing away high marks before the game was even released. The series instantly became a success on western shores. Final Fantasy VIII followed almost two years later, and the European audience finally seemed to be getting the attention it deserved. Occasionally, Europe seems of little priority to Japanese developers, and the unannounced release date for Final Fantasy IX seems to corroborate this fear of western gamers. America can expect the release of Final Fantasy IX around mid-November. We can only hope that in the future, Europe will not come last in a three horse race against Japan and America.
Squaresoft released the latest instalment of the multi-million selling series, Final Fantasy IX to an eager role-playing audience in mid-July. The game will be the final outing on PS1 for the 30,000,000 selling series. Final Fantasy X and XI for PS2 are already under development.
In Japan FF IX Pre-orders broke past records, with some punters queuing for days at Japan’s video game capital Akihabara. Over one million gamers pre-ordered the game, attempting to ensure their copy of the four-disc epic. Jun Iwasaki, president of Square Electronic Arts responded to the phenomenal sales of the Japanese launch. "We are delighted to go out with a bang this year on the PlayStation, and look forward to similar success with the U.S. launch as we had in Japan." There was no mention of Europe in their release strategy, despite a PlayStation user base of almost 25 million units.
It wasn’t until 1997 that Europe got it first glimpse of the series, Final Fantasy VII. Hype was built to enormous levels, with magazines throwing away high marks before the game was even released. The series instantly became a success on western shores. Final Fantasy VIII followed almost two years later, and the European audience finally seemed to be getting the attention it deserved. Occasionally, Europe seems of little priority to Japanese developers, and the unannounced release date for Final Fantasy IX seems to corroborate this fear of western gamers. America can expect the release of Final Fantasy IX around mid-November. We can only hope that in the future, Europe will not come last in a three horse race against Japan and America.
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