What’s the fate of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for Wii?
In its most recent issue, Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine said in its rumors column that the role-playing game had been "quietly canceled." Square Enix was quick to issue a lengthy statement to the effect that it was very much alive. Who’s right? After looking at the situation, it seems likeliest that Crystal Bearers isn’t dead — but that much like so many other Square Enix projects, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it to ship.
Crystal Bearers was one of the first Wii projects that Square Enix announced, at the 2006 E3 where Nintendo pulled back the curtain on the console. It was only shown as a very early trailer video, but at that point it looked like a direct sequel to the multiplayer GameCube game.
And then, nothing. Crystal Bearers, as happens with so many Square Enix announcements, went off the radar for a year. When it resurfaced, again as a brief video, it was totally different: A Kingdom Hearts-esque stylish re-design had replaced the cheerful cherubs.
And then, again, nothing. Three other games in the Crystal Chronicles series — Ring of Fates for DS, My Life as a King for WiiWare, and Echoes of Time for Wii and DS — have or will have been released without a peep heard about the big one.
So it’s tempting, then, to believe Electronic Gaming Monthly‘s rumor that the reason we haven’t heard anything about it is because it’s dead. But Square Enix stated emphatically that this was untrue. Here’s their official statement, in full:
Electronic Gaming Monthly stands by its reporting — sort of. The report that the game had been "quietly canceled" appeared, after all, in its rumors section. When I followed up with my editorial contacts at the 1up Network, they told me that the "Rumor Mill" column is in fact a rumors column and should be treated as such.
Also, they gave me this quote, which I was asked to attribute to "Quartermann," the longtime pseudonym of whoever happens to be writing the rumors column that month: "Quartermann is too busy digging up other juicy rumors to comment on other stuff he’s already printed. His track record speaks for itself."
Indeed it does — things that get reported in EGM‘s "Rumor Mill" often end up being true, because the 1up Network editors are tied in very closely to the industry and hear all kinds of things before the official press releases go out.
For example, back in 2006, EGM reported in the Quartermann column that the long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII would be unveiled at that year’s E3. Square Enix issued a response then, too, which read in full:
You’ll note, of course, that this is a very different sort of response. Even though EGM was correct, nothing in Square Enix’s response was technically untrue. It’s the non-denial denial. Similarly, when Square Enix took issue with reporting about the PlayStation 3 game Final Fantasy Versus XIII, it parsed words and split hairs but didn’t dispute the central point.
The Crystal Bearers denial is not any of these things — if the game has in fact been canceled, then Square Enix’s statement would be entirely untrue. And since EGM isn’t standing fully by the statement, merely pointing out that it’s a rumor and nothing more, it seems likeliest at this point that Crystal Bearers is still in development.
Of course, since all we’ve ever seen of it is two videos spaced a year apart, and since Square Enix is notorious for distracting people with snazzy videos while development of the game itself continues at a snail’s pace, and since another Crystal Chronicles game is already in the works for 2009, it’s still up for a Vaporware Award.
In other words: It’s alive, but only to the extent that any Square Enix game announced at E3 2006 and still not available (and there are so many) is alive, which is to say I’ll believe it actually exists when it’s in my Wii.
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