Team Final Fantasy XIII Discusses Missing Download Content and Future Developments

[Tobi]

We've been hearing little bits and pieces about download content
that went missing from Final Fantasy XIII. Producer Yoshinori Kitase
and director Motomu Toriyama shared some further details on this
area of the game, and even provided some teases about future
developments, in an interview that appeared in the recently
released Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega.

A FF Reunion reader provided a transcript.

Regarding the download content, Toriyama revealed that there
were plans in place to have an area called Seventh Ark offering
quest-like play with free battles. They ended up not going through
with this because they were unable to reach acceptable quality, and
also because of the great differences between the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360 network systems.

Kitase noted that while implementing something like download
weapons would have been simple, making something like the Seventh
Ark area with its exclusive play style would have required that
they clear a variety of restrictions. Rather than spending time for
this, they decided that moving on to the next step should become a
priority. He added that next time he'd make preparations for online
elements and DLC from the start.

Elsewhere in the interview, the two discussed further Fabula Nova
Crystalis developments, even hinting at a possible Final Fantasy
XIII-2.

Kitase said that he wants to do something that will allow players to
further understand the FFXIII story by better passing along the
Fabula Nova Crystalis mythology and showing things that won't
even make it into Final Fantasy Agito XIII and Versus XIII. Could this
be a "Final Fantasy XIII-2?" asked the interviewer. Kitase responded
that he's not sure -- it would depend in the end on fan reaction.
Toriyama added "I'd like to at some point make a story where
Lightning ends up happy."

It's unclear if this is related to the XIII-2 comments, but the
interviewer asked if the Final Fantasy XIII team is working on its
next game, and Kitase responded in the affirmative. Toriyama said
that they want the next title to incorporate some of the things
that they were unable to do for Final Fantasy XIII's download
content.

Assuming they've started work on the new game, expect to play it
at least within the next two years. According to Kitase, the staff
is following a company policy of making games at a pace of one title
every two years.

For a look at the Ultimania guide itself, visit this blog. The guide has
over 200 pages of world setting drawings, even down to detailed
images of the characters' glasses. There's a list of dialogue bits
that you hear on the fields of play, a guide to the world's symbolic
language, and a list of related goods.
The first area of the book is a set of storyboard illustrations from
storyboard director Yoshinori Kanada, who died from a heart
attack in July of last year. Following this is the message: "This book
is dedicated to YOSHINORI KANADA with thanks."

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/201...ima_interview/

www.i-mezzo.net/log/2010/10/03233101.html

[Hyan]

Assuming they've started work on the new game, expect to play it
at least within the next two years. According to Kitase, the staff
is following a company policy of making games at a pace of one title
every two years.

Sounds like a PSP game!

[Katlan]

Id like an XIII-2. I enjoyed X-2 for what it was, and the battle system was really fun. Story wise it wasn't anything impressive, but it was fun to go back and and play as the characters again and see whats-what

[Hyan]

I'd definitely enjoy more gameplay focused XIII. Even better if they do some adjustments to the combat, like with X and X-2.

[Lucavi]

Is there even room for a FFXIII-2 if it acts as a direct sequel? They're the strongest people in the world, ingrained with the power to basically change their focuses at will. They're basically gods.

I would like to see the add on content, though.

[Hyan]

I hope it's not a direct sequel, after seeing what they did to X..

A prequel would be awesome.

[Lucavi]

^ Yes. Show me what happened back in Gran Pulse. Show me how those wretched became that way.

[Lane]

As long as it's not another hallway simulator

[Hyan]

I hope it is, but with much much less hand holding. Also larger hallways would be nice.

[Spira]

dayum.. Seventh Ark would have been fun...

really though, I thought it'd have been great if they just allowed you to revisit areas or allowed you to replay the game with revamped difficulty, or added a monster arena where you could fight/refight everything

as for a FFXIII-2, I'd kinda expect it. After all, so many resources that were made for XIII could easily be reused for it, and it saves on production time and cost.. Thats part of the reason why X-2 even exists..

Story-wise.. its gonna be hard, I think.. seeing as how the storyline didn't leave much space for development...
A prequel which features magic would only be possible with Vanille and Fang..
As for a sequel, the main characters are presumably all human again since they completed their focus and lost their marks.. meaning no magic.. which would be like playing through Chapter 1 all over again. Then again, they could easily be given new marks from a different Pulse Fal'Cie.. or the Sanctum Fal'Cies, which probably didn't die off.. If Fang and Vanille could somehow protect the humans from the Ragnarok event.. the Fal'Cie too could have possibly survived..

Actually it'd be nice to be able to revisit Cocoon in ruins.. and like see a new Pulse city or something... in a 'few years later' scenario.. not unlike X-2... all they'd need to do is invent a new threat and force the characters to want to fight. OR lol.. Lightning, Serah + new goth chick, FFXIII-2.

[Lucavi]

^ Could have other people besides Vanille and Fang, they'd just die at the end - just like Vanille and Fang did. The good thing about FF is that they don't mind killing a few main characters off if it advances the plot.

[Kaylia]

Vanille and Fang are dead? I thought they were turned into a crystal or something.


But either way, no more Vanille and Fang please. They were fucking annoying.

[Lucavi]

They're dead to me, unless they decide to make a sequel hundreds of years in the future when they become uncrystalized.

[Zilong]

Vanille and Fang are dead? I thought they were turned into a crystal or something.


But either way, no more Vanille and Fang please. They were fucking annoying.

As much as I hate the english voice acting on both of them, I always thought that of all the things FFXIII did wrong, adding dykes wasn't one of them

[Souj]

I was always expecting more Titan trials maybe even ending in a fight with Titan, himself. seemed easy enough to do just that at least.

[Elcura]

All I want is a Titan fight.

[Pirian]

WTF you never even got to fight the titan? That was the only reason I drudged on for a while. I'm glad I stopped playing after all

[Tobi]

Nope. Sucks too. I was hoping you could fight him eventually after completing all Titan Trials, but unfortunately you can't. As soon as I got to Gran Pulse I was hoping you'd be able to fight him at some point after finishing the story.

[miokomioko]

No fight with Bismarck either, I didn't understand the point of introducing him as some sort of threat. However, it does make sense that every Fal'Cie was built for one, single purpose, which does not involve fighting with you. Only one of them was created with the purpose of battling/training/luring you. Titan just acts as a big survival-of-the-fittest machine for Gran Pulse's wildlife.

[Souj]

Was Bismark the one that jumped out of the water when you walked close enough to the edge of the water and they say somehting like "oh I bet we'll have to do something about that later!"
I could just be making up that quote completely, cause I only just remember that that said something...