Final Fantasy Creator Joins Microsoft News
Jon Wilcox
25/02/2005
Microsoft unveils it’s latest acquisition as a living legend of the videogames industry...
Microsoft has today announced that Hironobu Sakaguchi, father of the iconic RPG series, Final Fantasy, has signed up with Microsoft Games Studios to produce two titles for the next-generation Xbox. Since leaving FF developers Square-Enix, Sakaguchi-san has set up his own development studio, Mistwalker, which was established in 2004. The fact that heâs jumped over to the big X is sure to be seen a massive coup for Microsoft, and a boost for the RPG genre on its next-gen console.
Announcing the deal, Peter Moore, Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing at Microsoft said, âSakaguchi-san has taken role-playing games â” traditionally a niche market â” and introduced them to a broad and diverse audience across the globeâ¦We are ecstatic to work with Sakaguchi-san and celebrate what this news means not only for Xbox, but for gamers worldwide.â
But what does the man himself think? Well in a statement Sakaguchi â“san commented that, âIâm excited about the two epic game titles we will be developingâ¦A number of talented creators have signed on to help develop these games, and Iâm confident we will be able to create games that provide gamers with a new kind of thrillâ¦Microsoftâs cutting-edge technologies in the next-generation platform will allow me to bring to life an array of ideas that I have had for many yearsâ¦I want these games to be alive with a new vision for gaming and vividly depict new characters that will transcend the game, find a place in the hearts of gamers, and make time spent with my games a fond and long-lasting memory.â
There are no details about the two titles at the moment, but we wait with great anticipation as to what this legend-in-his-own-lifetime will bring...