Final Fantasy XII release lags in Japan

TOKYO--According to the Asahi Shinbun and Impress Gamewatch, Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII won't release until spring 2005 at the earliest. While Square Enix previously stated that the PlayStation 2 RPG would hit Japan sometime between this winter and spring, during its midterm financial meeting today the company announced that the game will not be released during the current fiscal year. Square's fiscal year ends March 31, 2005.

While Square Enix hasn't yet launched any one blockbuster title in recent months, the company still made 3.13 billion yen ($30.4 million) in net profit during the six-month period ending September 30, 2004--up substantially from the previous year.