Square Enix "definitely interested" in bringing future Final Fantasy games to PC
"It's an early stage for us."
Square Enix is interested in bringing future Final Fantasy games to the PC, it's said.
While MMO Final Fantasy games Final Fantasy 11 and Final Fantasy 14 are available on PC, none of the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy of games are, and Final Fantasy 15 is confirmed for release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One only.
It's a series whose heritage is on console, but according to Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase, that may change.
"Let's not forget, when we developed the Final Fantasy 13 series, all three titles, at the early stages of development we were working on PC," Kitase told Eurogamer.
"Then we had to port it to the consoles. As far as the technology is concerned, it would have been possible for us to make a PC version, but we decided against it for two reasons: we looked at the market situation and we didn't think it would be a good idea, and also it would have involved lots of complex issues like security. So we decided not to do it this time around.
"But we see potential in it and there are lots of regions and countries where PC is very strong. So in terms of our hope of being able to deliver our games to every single country in the world and to as many gamers as possible, yes, we would definitely be interested in pursuing that route in the future."
Square Enix has recently released some of the Final Fantasy games on Steam, including Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 8. Kitase said these titles had enjoyed success, making more launches on Valve's enormously successful digital platform likely.
"Final Fantasy 7 and 8 are now available on PC and they've been proving quite popular," he said. "It's an early stage for us. We haven't got an awful lot of experience in this field. So when we have more know-how and experience in this market we would be very interested."
In June last year Square Enix unveiled Final Fantasy 15 for PS4 and Xbox One, in development at the company's First Production Department and under the guidance of producer Shinji Hashimoto, director and character designer Tetsuya Nomura and co-director Hajime Tabata. Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura is also working on the game.