Back in early August at a Microsoft game exhibition in Taipei, Microsoft Taiwan's Grace Chou apparently confirmed that an Asian Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII was getting released in Taiwan. According to Taiwanese site GNN Gamer, the Microsoft exec stated it hadn't been decided which localized version (Japanese or English) would be launched for the Asian territories. This Asian version (which would conceivably be released in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore) made Japanese Xbox 360 owners excited as it possibly meant they might be able to import FFXIII and play it on Japanese Xbox 360s. GNN Gamer posted a Microsoft Taiwan statement that clarified earlier remarks, stating: "The announcement of the release of Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360 at this year's E3 is at the moment still at the planning stage. We don't have any further information regarding the releasing date or the possibility of localization." Microsoft contacted Kotaku, telling us that this statement GNN Gamer was actually incorrect. That statement has since been updated on GNN Gamer, but the site has not made such mention of this update or change. The post now reads:
針對日前媒體對於Final Fantasy XIII會在台上市的引述報導，台灣微軟在此作出聲明。 在2008年E3展中，微軟宣布Final Fantasy XIII將在北美與歐洲地區推出Xbox 360版本，並沒有在台灣推出的計劃。如果造成任何的誤解，台灣微軟特此澄清。 台灣微軟 Regarding recent inaccurate media reports about the availability of Final Fantasy XIII in the Taiwan market, Microsoft Taiwan hereby issues this statement: At E3 2008, it was announced that Final Fantasy XIII will be available for Xbox 360 platform in North America and Europe. There is no plan to launch the game in Taiwan. We regret any confusion caused by this. Microsoft Taiwan
When we contacted Microsoft directly about whether or not Final Fantasy XIII will be getting an Asian version, Microsoft issued this statement: "There's really no more to say than that as announced at E3, "Final Fantasy XIII" on Xbox 360 is scheduled for release in North America and Europe. There are no plans to release the game in any other region, including Asia." Do keep in mind that after the E3 press conference, we approached Xbox Japan boss Takashi Sensui about the chances of FFXIII getting a Japan release. His response? Ask Square Enix. [Pic]