Final Fantasy Versus XIII is by far the most anticipated game this generation ever since its announcement back in May 2006. So why might this modern action-RPG have been pushed to the PS4?

In short:

• Delayed because of the poor design choices in XIII and rigid game design

• We should be excited for E3 this year because Versus will be shown running on a PS4

• Adapted to new trends such as micro-transactions

• Changed the focus in order to appeal to both male and female gamers

• Square Enix wants to show off the new Luminous Engine running on PS4

• Wants to get rid of the old stigma that is the “XIII” brand and all the negative connotations that goes with it

• One double-layered Bluray isn’t enough

• Creates a substantial reason to purchase the PS4

Square Enix have had their hands full with Final Fantasy XIII witch got rather poor critical reviews – despite it’s financial success – and Final Fantasy XIII-2 which amended many of these complaints. This would have taken up a lot of resources and also impacted the development of Versus. If many of the poor design choices implemented in XIII also existed in Versus this would have had to force Square Enix to completely overhaul the game and get rid of the rigid Japanese game design, much like they did with Final Fantasy XIV since that was delayed. It would make sense to at least publish the game on both PS3 and maybe even as a simultaneous PS4 launch title.

New trends have also emerged impacting games since the mid 2000s. With the emergence of micro-transactions it’s very possible Square Enix is trying to add some kind of in-game customization scheme where they can monetize the game in different ways. This is specially relevant since these types of games often span over 50 hours of game-play or more which would encourage you to purchase small items in order to change the appearance or gain small advantages. The full extent of using micro-transaction would be easier to implement on the PS4.

Another reason why Final Fantasy Versus XIII might have been reworked during its productions is the fact that nearly a third of Final Fantasy XIII’s fan-base are female gamers. This is according to Media Create, who gathers and analyzes data from the digital entertainment industry, specifically focusing on the Japanese console gaming market. In recent years, with the impact of the Wii reaching a new demographic, Square Enix might have tried to make the game appeal more to women, by enhancing the strong female protagonist in the game, namely Stella Nox Fleuret. While she is prominent in the trailer she doesn’t take any active role in the events. Hopefully we can see a better balance here, much like they did in XIII-2.

Next reason is the overall aesthetics of Versus. What better way to show off a modern/futuristic RPG than on Square Enix’s shiny new Luminous Engine? The Director of Versus, Tetsuya Nomura, has been quoted to say that the characters of Final Fantasy Versus XIII will be the most realistic and believable in the Final Fantasy series yet and they will talk and behave like people from the real world. This seems to indicate that they need the PS4 in order to achieve that level of realism in terms of graphics and AI.

Square Enix confirmed production was still ongoing in July, 2012, and it’s plausible they will now be able to announce a release date at E3 in June. Maybe this is the reason why Square’s Enix’s Final Fantasy brand director, Shinji Hashimoto stated the we should “Please be excited for E3 this year!” at Sony’s big PS4 announcement meeting. Hashimoto only showed off the Luminous Engine and didn’t announce any games in particular, but hinted that the news would be Final Fantasy-related.

It would also make perfect sense to ditch and leave the the old “XIII” brand, and all the negative fan feedback that goes with it, which is why a fresh rumor saying it is now simply called Final Fantasy XV would make sense. Perhaps Sony is also co-developing the title, adapting it for the Western market. So if Versus was once the reason to buy a PS3, then maybe XV will be the reason to buy a PlayStation 4, at launch. Be sure to tell santa, the tooth fairy or whatever magical being you believe in what we want for x-mas.

The final reason, a practical one, might be the bluray disc itself. XIII was 40 GB and maybe Versus needs more than two layers of capacity to be able to fit all those high resolution assets and FMV’s. By also releasing the game on PS3 – perhaps on two discs – would definitely make that huge install base happy while also making the argument of buying a PS4 this holiday season a viable option.