Final Fantasy XIII-2 launches January 31

In July, Square Enix announced that its role-playing game sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 would arrive in North America in January 2012. Today the publisher affirmed that it will meet that release window, but just barely.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 will launch for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 31 of next year in the United States, and February 3 in Europe. The publisher also confirmed that downloadable content previously announced for the game in Japan would also arrive in North America, though it still declined to detail exactly what that would entail. The North American version of the game will also feature the theme song "New World," sung by Warner Bros. Records artist Charice.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a direct sequel to 2010's well-received Final Fantasy XIII. It stars Final Fantasy XIII protagonist Lightning and is being directed by series veteran Motomu Toriyama. In an interview with GameSpot, Toriyama said XIII-2 will be "perhaps even darker and more mysterious" than Final Fantasy XIII.

For more on the forthcoming title, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Final Fantasy XIII-2.