The whispers were correct, today’s the day Square Enix carves the western release date of their mammoth RPG Final Fantasy XIII in stone — the game will release in North America and Europe simultaneously on March 09, 2010. To make it all seem so much real, and to show that Square Enix is taking release date announcements way too seriously (just watch it), is the 5-minute video above where different people involved talk about the franchise.

Oh, have high expectations for the game? Maybe this will help: “Final Fantasy XIII will exceed all expectations,” Square Enix president and CEO John Yamamoto says.