Square Enix's White Engine renamed, goes multiplatform including Wii

Posted Feb 22, 2008 at 6:07PM by QJ Staff Listed in: Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: GDC, Square Enix, White Engine
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Final Fantasy 13 Lightning Square Enix - Image 1Those keeping tabs on the development of Final Fantasy XIII, particularly the use of Square Enix's White Engine should pay attention: Square Enix's in-house new graphics engine has been renamed to a more Final Fantasy-ish name - that being: Crystal Tools. Square Enix research and development division executive Taku Murata made that announcement in the recent GDC 2008.

Crystal Tools, which was originally developed to be a PlayStation 3-only engine, has now gone multiplatform to accommodate PC and Xbox 360 games. Also, some of Crystal Tools' functions can be used on a Wii console, but Murata declined to comment on how Crystal Tools can be used for Wii titles.

Murata gave the GDC 2008 audience a glimpse of Crystal Tools, namely some screenshots of the character model viewer and cut-scene editor. He ended the presentation by showing a Final Fantasy XII trailer.

Via Wired

 
 
 

Comments [refresh]

by UltimateIdiot911 - 2008-02-22 13:56
» FFXIII still ps3 exclusive

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/854/854309p1.html



second to last paragraph, ffxiii is still ps3 exclusive. The engine only means easier development and lower cost but doesn't mean every single games will be multi.

by ritterrav - 2008-02-22 13:56
» tt

They already messed, up because an engine that can be used for the Wii and a PS3 is automatically crippled from the word go for the PS3. Unless the versions are VASTLY different, in which why even have the same name for a Wii engine and a PS3 engine if there so damn different.

by hush404 - 2008-02-22 15:22
» 's hope

thats true. If the 360 gets FFXIII - there be some wars startin.

by Yaz - 2008-02-22 15:50
» No, no, no :)

This is the same false logic certain gamers use when trying to claim the 360 would bring down the quality of games on the PS3. :|



They have effectively PORTED the engine to other platforms (including a scaled down version for the Wii), and so it's now a multi-platform game engine, but that doesn't effect the PS3 at all, much less cripple it!

by CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS - 2008-02-22 15:58
» What The..!

I thought an engine is a virtual framework a game is made into and the tools are what a developer uses to create the engine or add/take away things running in the engine.

by Yaz - 2008-02-22 19:35
» Both

For every game engine, there's a set of tools created specifically for that engine which allows the devs to create the games (level editor, debugger, audio manager etc), some of which are distrubuted freely to PC gamers to allow them to create mods for the game. For commercial games, devs use these game engine tools together with numerous general purpose developement tools.

by xche78x - 2008-02-22 19:50
» and the QJ article says...

FINAL FANTASY XII



the original article says FINAL FANTASY XIII.



oh yes even it will be sad for sony+squareenix fans this will mean more SE games can be ported to other platforms easily and efficiently, thus somehow removing sony exclusivity in the future.

anyways it good that everyone now has a chance of getting ports whatever system you own. + more happy gamers, more money for SE.

by xche78x - 2008-02-22 19:56
» poor ritterav

linear thinking will get you nowhere but the cutters lounge.

doing a port doesnt mean that the game will be crippled to the least common denominator.

the best quality will be scaled down just as YAZ said.

if your case is right we could have been getting Gameboy game graphics on our SNES!

by Stealth! - 2008-02-22 21:42
» Thats right

FF13 and Versus are still exclusive thats not going to change. Nor in the future FF titles.



@ xche78x

Like they weren't games from SE to other consoles before? Um yes The exclusive game by SE for 360, which i think its a shooter.



And games on Ninty.



You make it out it hasn't happened or already planed already.

by platon - 2008-02-23 10:30
» bah

it's not like they'll make the same game for ps3 and wii, they'll just use the same soft...



And for the x360, I suppose they learned that a translated unreal engine cost WAY too much for good results while they have their own, so it's cheaper to simply make it multiplatform, this way games like the last remnant would cost less in the near future.



But I don't think we're gonna see more FFs on x360...

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