Final Fantasy Type-O Getting a U.S. Release?

The director says his team is working on an overseas version, but will it come out on PSP?

While it’s true that the PSP market in the West has been going downhill for a couple of years now, Square Enix has continued to support the handheld, releasing most of the major PSP titles in America this year, including Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together and The Third Birthday. It was puzzling, then, when SE announced that they would not be localizing Final Fantasy Type-0. It looks like the company may have had a change of heart, however, as new details have emerged regarding an English localization for the game.

In an interview in the newly released Japanese strategy guide (titled Final Fantasy Type-0 Ultimania), director Hajima Tabata stated that his team is working on a version of the game for release overseas. No word was given on how FF T-0 would be released. It could be a normal PSP release on UMD, or a digital title. There’s also the possibility of the game getting the HD treatment for PS3, as we have seen with the PSP God of War games. Tabata also talked a little bit about the recently announced Type-0 sequel, and says he would like to do a direct sequel, in the vein of the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII-2. He says he would like to design the game for consoles, as well.

Final Fantasy Type-0 began life as a Japanese cell phone game called Final Fantasy Agito XIII, and is part of the Fabula Nova Crystalis initiative. The game was scrapped for cell phones and instead moved to PSP, where it got the name changed to Type-0. After a long development cycle, Type-0 was released in Japan this past October. The well-known magazine Famitsu gave the game three 10s and and a 9.

Jason Ross Senior Editor

12/01/2011 at 05:54 PM

Traditionally, like with Final Fantasy X, the way releases work with Final Fantasy often go like this:

Japanese version

North American version/PAL version

International version

How's that work? The Japanese version comes out, and while it's being translated into English and other languages, new content, like bosses, are added. Then, after the real international release, the game receives an "International Version" in Japan with all the bonuses in the North American version and then some. I believe some, if not all of the weapons (Ruby, Emerald, etc.) were added into FFVII, were first in the NA version. In Kingdom Hearts, the Sephiroth fight was added into the NA version, then brought back over to Japan with Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix.

Anyway, my point is that there is a chance the International version won't be localized in North America, and it could just mean Hajima Tabata is working on a better Japanese version. Still, it would be odd to not have the international version release anywhere else than Japan. I'm just saying it's possible he's referring to the second, expanded Japanese release of the game.

Julian Titus Senior Editor

12/01/2011 at 08:18 PM

He specifically said overseas in the interview though, so I take that to mean that the game is getting ready for a localization. Obviously, his team wouldn't be translating it, and they're probably working on balancing (the game is supposed to be really tough) and additions for a NA version. And then I'm sure it will get re-released in Japan as FF Type-0 International.

I will be surprised if it gets released on UMD here, though. My money is on a PS3 port.

PixlBit