Square confirms Final Fantasy IX delay

[11.29.99] » Current fiscal year's earning forecasts reduced dramatically.

   As previously rumored in October, Square's Final Fantasy IX has been officially delayed to Fall 2000, reports the Mainichi Shinbun. The two primary factors driving the delay are development setbacks and the delay of Enix's Dragon Quest VII. The recent postponement of Square's Millenium conference suggested that Square's flagship title was not-quite-ready for prime time and needed some fine tuning. And not even Square wants to go head-to-head against Enix's DQVII. The much-anticipated (and much-delayed) latest Dragon Quest title is currently set for a February 2000 release; spacing out the two epic RPGs will help sales for both titles. Both companies expect sales of 3 million units plus for their flagship titles.

   As a result of the delay, Square has slashed their anticipated earnings for the fiscal year (which ends in March 2000) by 13.8 billion yen, or about $100 million dollars. However, this cut is expected to be made up in the next fiscal year with Final Fantasy IX's release.