It is thought that the IT giant hopes the move will win over fans in Japan, where it has so far appeared to lose credibility due to the lack of exclusive role-playing games available in the first generation Xbox, which was a massive money-making success in the US.
Media speculation has hinted that this latest deal could be a crucial stepping stone for Microsoft as it opens up the possibility to attract Japanese game developers such as Konami and Capcom, who are reluctant to develop games for consoles that have not managed to sell very well in the domestic market. It is also expected to enable the company to compete with Japan-based rivals Sony and Nintendo.
Sakaguchi has been credited by some industry observers as popularizing Sony’s PlayStation game consoles through his Final Fantasy franchise, which has sold more than 60 million units worldwide. It is hoped that he will be able to perform the same miracle on Microsoft’s console.
Sakaguchi will produce the highly anticipated Xbox games at his Tokyo-based Mistwalker game studio, which was launched in 2001, although he has so far declined to comment on the possible release date.
