Final Fantasy XIII saga concludes on Steam with Lightning Returns in December

By Danny Cowan Published October 19, 2015

A long-promised Steam version of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII sequel Lightning Returns is launching in December, producer Kitase Yoshinori announced.

“We are currently putting the finishing touches to the game and it will take a bit more time until it’s complete,” Kitase stated in a tweet translated by NeoGAF forums member Hasemo. “We should able to release it around December. I’m terribly sorry for the late release despite saying that the game will be out in Autumn. We will share more details with you at a later date.”

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Lightning Returns is the concluding chapter in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIII saga, and originally launched for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2014. The publisher announced that a Steam version was due this fall, but did not issue further updates when the game missed its initially targeted release date.

Lightning Returns wraps up plot details introduced in Final Fantasy XIII, a 2009 sequel in Square Enix’s beloved, long-running RPG series. A direct follow-up, Final Fantasy XIII-2, launched in 2012, addressing criticism leveled at Final Fantasy XIII‘s slow pacing and unconventional structure that defied many long-standing RPG traditions.

A Windows version of Final Fantasy XIII launched via Steam in 2014, and a PC port of Final Fantasy XIII-2 arrived earlier this year. Both games boast additional resolution options not present in the original console editions, and both feature a 60 frames-per-second presentation on PCs.

Square Enix followed up on Final Fantasy XIII in 2010 with the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV (the developer’s second attempt at an MMO version of the series after Final Fantasy XI), which suffered numerous issues at launch. The game’s largely negative reception led Square Enix to later relaunch it as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, an overhauled edition that fixed the original game’s many bugs and interface quirks.

The next entry in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XV, is currently slated to launch for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016. The sequel builds on traditional RPG gameplay with open-world elements and real-time combat, among other features.

A release date for the PC version of Lightning Returns is not yet known.

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