Final Fantasy XIII-2 will go down in the history books for Square Enix. The title marks the first time Square’s Japanese development team utilized testers in North America and Europe, according to producer Yoshinori Kitase.

“Of course we do respect our fans in the west,” said Kitase to German PlayStation magazine Play3. “We always used to contact test gamers, but never before those from the west. Final Fantasy XIII-2 was the first time we have done this in [both] Europe and North America. We collected opinions and perceptions, so we really know the opinions of all gamers, and can express them in the game.”

Final Fantasy XIII-2 launched in Japan last month. It will launch for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America on January 31 and in Europe on February 3.

Thanks, JPGames.de (and Tony).