In an interview with Japanese website GameWatch, Final Fantasy XI producer Hiromichi Tanaka talked at length about Final Fantasy XI and his future project. Tanaka explained that for him and his team the Final Fantasy XI saga has already lasted six years. While the game was released in Japan four years ago in May 2002, development already began in late 1999 after the team had finished working on Chrono Cross. With the newest expansion Treasures of Aht Urhgan, the development team is targeting users with a character level of 50 and above.

While Tanaka and his team will continue to expand the world of Final Fantasy XI, the producer is already working on another project: a new MMORPG for PlayStation 3 and Windows Vista. This game should be released worldwide. When the topic came to the trailer shown at Microsoft's E3 conference, Tanaka refused to go into specifics, saying it could be an extension to Final Fantasy XI, it could coexist with Final Fantasy XI or could compete with Final Fantasy XI.

Asked about the possibility of releasing a PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XI to accompany the launch of Sony Computer Entertainment's next-generation console in November, Tanaka laughed and said that would be impossible.

Asked about mobile devices, Tanaka explained that the previously announced system allowing players to chat and access auctions from their cellphones was almost complete. While he acknowledged the possibilities offered by the PlayStation Portable, he hasn't had the time to prepare any ideas for mobile platforms outside the aforementioned system.

• GameWatch