We are well aware that many of our readers are upset with Square-Enix and the perceived shunning of the PlayStation brand this generation. Granted, there is a vocal minority that says, "forgive Square-Enix; they're just trying to expand their business!" Yes, well, if that were the case, why would they remove the PlayStation from their business model and only include the Xbox 360? Take Star Ocean: The Last Hope for instance.
This is a franchise that has never been on a Microsoft console, but we've seen multiple iterations on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable. Therefore, it makes little sense to ignore the PlayStation 3 for the next installment, but that appears to be what Square-Enix is doing. Various rumors sifted about in 2008, claiming that S-E would bring The Last Hope to Sony's machine – heck, it was even "confirmed" at one point – but those rumors have once again been shot down. During a recent IGN interview, the development team said very specifically that "there are currently no plans for a PlayStation 3 version." It doesn't get any more concrete than that, although if you wanted to play the role of the undying optimist, you could focus on the word, "currently." In other words, if there's enough of a fan clamor to get The Last Hope on the PS3, and the PS3's user base increases (which of course it will), Square-Enix may eventually deliver the game. But at this point, it seems very unlikely, and that's unfortunate.
Does anybody understand this approach? The only viable reason we can come up with is that they started work on the game several years ago, when the PS3 had just arrived and was struggling. S-E wanted to expand westward, the 360 was doing well, and so they figured… Well, you know. But even so, it's tough for PlayStation loyalists to view this as anything but a slap in the face.
