Final Fantasy XII delayed?

TOKYO--Fans eager to get their hands on Final Fantasy XII may have to keep waiting. Square Enix president Youichi Wada recently told Bloomberg that the PlayStation 2 role-playing game will probably not be released in the spring of 2005, as previously anticipated, adding that the company has not set a firm date for the newest installment in the Final Fantasy series.

However, Wada said that starting April 1, Square Enix will release a new game every month. April 1 marks the two-year anniversary of the merger between Square Co., Ltd. and Enix Corporation. Wada said the monthly schedule will let Square Enix continue updating its franchises, which include Dragon Quest and Star Ocean. He added that Final Fantasy XII's release date will be chosen to ensure its sales won't compete with those of Square Enix's other top sellers.

Square Enix also plans to boost its worldwide sales. Currently, about 30 percent of Square Enix's game sales take place outside of Japan. Wada told Bloomberg that he hopes to increase that number to more than 50 percent. He added that Square Enix is considering a variety of tactics to achieve that goal, including strengthening its foreign sales network and acquiring other companies.

For more on Final Fantasy XII, which debuted at E3 2004, see GameSpot's previous coverage.