Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

Announced in May 2006 at E3, the original footage featured a young central character which led many to believe it would retain the same multilayer-focused gameplay the earlier GameCube release had. The game reappeared in video form a year later at E3 again, but this time the protagonist was older and the gameplay seemed to have more in common with the single-player focused main Final Fantasy series. The Wii’s dominance in all territories had obviously spurred Square Enix to turn the game from a multiplayer oddity, to a spin-off worthy of comparison to the main series. It has now been over a year since anything has been heard about the game apart from some vague confirmations that it is still in development.

Square Enix generally give away very little about the games they have in development. In fact, it is common for them to announce games early, then not mention them at all, and then finally release screens and footage when they are only months from release; a practice which can be quite frustrating for their fans. Announcements of games like Arc Rise Fantasia, Monster Hunter 3, Rune Factory and a new Tales of game are also strengthening the perception that the Wii is the successor to the PS2 when it comes to Japanese RPGs. The financial reasons for Square Enix to release this game are getting stronger all the time.

Chances of Release: 80%