Hashimoto: FFXIII will be delivered globally in a "fresh state"

Speaking in the latest issue of UK mag Play, Square Enix corporate executive Shinji Hashimoto has said that the company is working hard on delivering FFXIII in a "fresh" state to international audiences and that he's excited that localisation for the title won't be as pronounced as normal for a Final Fantasy game.

"Obviously, we announced the title for both the PS3 and 360, so in that sense we're very excited to be able to appeal to a new user base ans to fans that are users of both PS3 and 360," he said.

"Another thing I'm excited about it that it's traditionally taken about a year for localisation to take place, so the Japanese version can reach audiences around the world. But with this titles we're focused on decreasing that time gap. That means, right now, we're not only involved in creating and developing, but also working hard to deliver the title in a fresh state to everyone in the world."

Cutting down on localisation times has become a priority for Square Enix, with president Yoichi Wada saying the firm was making big strides in the area in the March just gone.

Final Fantasy XIII hits Japan in 2009, with a playable demo being included in the Blu-ray release of movie Advent Children: Complete in March.

Thanks, Xephon1970!