Father of Final Fantasy Helps Xbox 360 Break Asia

Microsoft has turned to Hironobu Sakaguchi, the ‘father of Final Fantasy’, to help make the kind of Xbox 360 games required to break the Asian market:

While the top-selling Xbox games in the US are shooting titles such as Halo, in Japan, the big hitters tend to be role-playing and adventure games. Under an exclusive deal with Microsoft, [Hironobu Sakaguchi] has developed two fantasy role-playing games for the 360 of the type that sell well in Japan.

In a game called Blue Dragon, the main characters have a specific shadow such as a dragon or a phoenix. The shadow is intended to reflect their inner being, providing them with magical powers. His other title, Lost Odyssey, is the story of a man who has lived for 1,000 years, which Mr Sakaguchi hopes will move players to tears.

The games will spearhead efforts by Microsoft to grab a bigger chunk of the console market in Japan with the 360.

BBC News