Square Enix rocked the gaming world at E3 this year with the announcement that their next installment in the Final Fantasy series was no longer a Sony exclusive, but would instead release on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. Now more news concerning Final Fantasy XIII has emerged.

Final Fantasy games have traditionally been separate stories, each with a new universe and characters to love and hate, with the exception of Final Fantasy X-2, which was a true sequel to Final Fantasy X. Expanding on this formula, Square released Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerebres, stories set in the Final Fantasy VII universe, and Revenant Wings, another story in the Final Fantasy XII setting.

Now with Final Fantasy XIII, three games are currently planned. The Final Fantasy team has three major directors, each with their own area of expertise and interpretation of how the story in this new series plays. All three games will be based on the legend and mythology of a crystal, but each will offer a different story and type of gameplay.

According to Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase, the three directors for Final Fantasy XIII are Motomu Toriyama, Tetsuya Nomura and Hajime Tabata. Toriyama is described as the more traditional “command-style” director, and that style will be evident in Final Fantasy XIII. Nomura, a longtime Square Enix designer, uses a more stylistic approach, using an “action-based command” style and will be the driving force behind Final Fantasy III Versus. This style was evident in Kingdom Hearts and will exist in the new game as well. Tabata, the director for Agito III, will use his prevailing style of “merging action and command” in his interpretation of the Final Fantasy III myth and legend. His past work was demonstrated in Crisis Core.

Is three games the limit for a Final Fantasy series? According to producer Shinji Hashimoto, only the future will tell, as the games produced are a direct correlation to the “fan’s needs.” In an interview with Gamasutra, he stated that each Final Fantasy series, with its unique characters and world, generates a great deal of feedback from the fans. They try to take those comments into account to create new side stories for the Final Fantasy games.

When Gamasutra asked if there will ever be a “final” Final Fantasy, Hashimoto explained that the term “final” in this sense doesn’t mean “last” but rather “ultimate,” and that as long as there are creative teams that want to make Final Fantasy games, the series will continue.

Now if we could just get an answer to that over-reoccurring question: Will we see an actual remake of Final Fantasy VII?

- Patty Estill