Dragon Quest 9 Delay Could Affect Final Fantasy 13

Following the decision to postpone the Japanese debut of Dragon Quest IX (DS), Square Enix now says this might impact the long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, 360).

"There is a possibility that [the] Dragon Quest IX delay could effect Final Fantasy XIII," said Square head Yoichi Wada, as reported by IT Media and translated by Kotaku.

Shifting Dragon Quest IX from March to July left Square Enix without a major release for the rest of its fiscal year, which ends on March 31. The delay was one of the reasons the company yesterday lowered its profit forecast for the fiscal year by nearly 63%.

At last official word, Final Fantasy XIII was slated to hit Japan this year in PlayStation 3 form, with North America and Europe seeing Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the anticipated role-playing game no earlier than April 2010.