Final Fantasy 13 came out in 2009 on PS3 and Xbox 360. It spawned two sequels, Final Fantasy 13-2 and Lightning Returns, and has a special place in the Final Fantasy chronology as one of the most polarizing entries of the series due to its linear structure.
Recently, the game was added to Xbox Game Pass for both consoles and PC, no doubt introducing the game to a whole new legion of gamers. Whether you are going through it for the first time or replaying the 13th mainline entry, you'll probably be interested to know some of these behind-the-scenes facts.
10 It Was The First Final Fantasy For An Xbox Console
During this generation, a lot of previously exclusive franchises went multiplatform. This includes Final Fantasy 13, which marked the series' debut on Microsoft's console. Due to the storage limitations of the Xbox 360's DVDs versus the PS3's Blu-Ray, it came on three discs and only ran at 720p resolution.
Xbox consoles have never been popular in Japan, but the port was done to reach more western gamers, where the console was still dominating over PS3.
9 Final Fantasy 15 Started Out As Final Fantasy Versus 13
Final Fantasy 13 was announced in 2006 alongside two other projects making up the Fabula Nova Crystalis project. Final Fantasy Versus 13 was a PS3 exclusive that looked significantly darker than Final Fantasy 13.
However, few updates were coming out to the public besides from a small trailer here and there. Ultimately, it was rebranded as Final Fantasy 15 and came out on PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2016.
8 Development Started In 2004
Games are not made overnight, which makes this game's development starting in 2004 no surprise. It was not until the completion of Final Fantasy 10-2 International + Last Mission that development on Final Fantasy 13 started. Both games were directed by Motomo Toriyama, so the timeline is logical.
Motomo Toriyama also went on to direct the next two games in the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy.
7 The Game Was Initially Codenamed "Colors World"
Much like movies, it is common for games to start development under a codename. Final Fantasy 13 started development under the name "Colors World". This was in reference to the crystals that connected all the games in the Fabula Nova Crystallis project.
Crystals have always been a motif for the franchise, but they are even more important in Final Fantasy 13. Some people even turn into crystals during the story.
6 Fang Was Originally A Guy
It is nothing new to see characters go through changes during development and it is always interesting to think about how the game would have turned out if the developers kept things the way they planned. Fang, for example, was originally written to be a male character before being changed into a woman early in development.
She was given more sex appeal to differentiate her from Lightning, who is a more serious character.
5 Early Prototypes Were Made On PS2
You can find photos of early Final Fantasy 13 prototypes running of the PS2. The pictures show little of what would become the final product but there are some familiar bits in there. Yuna and Rikku are even shown as placeholder characters.
Some cited reasons for the development switching include the numerous delays Final Fantasy 12 encountered and the positive response to the 2005 Final Fantasy 7 tech demo.
4 There Was A Lot Of Cut Content
According to the creators, there was apparently enough cut content in Final Fantasy 13 to fill up another full game. Players found a cut dungeon within the files of the PC version which could have been scrapped DLC.
Additionally, there were numerous cut areas the developers have talked about. These include Lightning's home, a zoo, and the secret base for Nora. Content gets cut all the time, but these were said to be fully up and running in unreleased builds.
3 The Crystal Tools Engine Caused Numerous Delays
When the game started development on PS3 a whole new engine was created. Crystal Tools is the jaw-droppingly gorgeous engine running Final Fantasy 13 and the first version of Final Fantasy 14. Unfortunately, this ended up causing numerous delays because the developers started making assets before the engine was finished, and not everything could be ported into the engine afterward.
Even though it caused numerous problems, Final Fantasy 13 is perhaps the prettiest game of its generation.
2 The PC Version Was Scrapped Because Of Security Concerns
Final Fantasy 13 eventually received a PC port in 2015, but it was considered to come out on computers alongside the console release. There two main reasons why this was not brought to the PC at first. The market at the time did not deem it a worthy effort and Square was worried about security concerns.
Considering how rampant piracy is, it is difficult to blame Square Enix for the latter reason.
1 The Battle System Was Designed To Look Like Advent Children
One of the main goals of Final Fantasy 13's battle system was to make the fights look like the animated film Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. Whether the developer reached this or not is up to your judgment, but the fights are way more active and kinetic than prior entries despite still having turn-based gameplay.
Even though a lot of fans have grievances against the title, the battle system was pointed out as a highlight for many.