Final Fantasy XII is the only game in the long running Japanese role-playing franchise that can't be played on a modern high-definition console. That may soon change if this rumor is to be believed.
At the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds Concert held in Pittsburgh last weekend, orchestra conductor Arnie Roth said that the game may be getting a 'remake' treatment similar to that of the recently announced Final Fantasy VII game unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last June. A member of the audience was able to capture Roth's statement on video.
However after the concert, Roth quickly backtracked on his statement. In a post on the Distant Worlds official Facebook page he writes:
Dear friends,
In response to comments posted by fans, I want to rectify a statement made from the stage Saturday night at our Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY concert in Pittsburgh.
Following conversations with composer Hitoshi Sakimoto regarding new concert arrangements of music from FINAL FANTASY XII, regrettably, the term 'remake' was used in error during one of the announcements that took place from the stage during the concert.
We sincerely regret any confusion this has caused.
One should note that Roth's letter does not outright deny the existence of a new Final Fantasy XII game. He simply apologizes mentioning the word 'remake.' Video game blog Kotaku believes this is because the term Roth may have been searching for was 'remaster' instead.
If this speculation is true then it would seem a more plausible scenario. Though critically and commercially successful, FF XII is hardly a game that fans are clamoring to get more of. It's hard to imagine Square Enix giving it a total overhaul FF VII style. An updated remaster though, with HD textures and better resolution, similar to the recently released Final Fantasy X HD seems a more logical move.
With Gamescom right around the corner things may get interesting. Stay tuned for more.
