The long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII (PS3, 360) will hit Japan in 2009, developer Square Enix reaffirmed at a dedicated invite-only event this weekend.

Following contradictory reports from numerous sources, the studio confirmed to Shacknews that all news stemming from the recent event was for the Japan only, including word that Final Fantasy XIII would arrive in 2009.

Though Square announced an Xbox 360 port of the one-time PlayStation 3 exclusive RPG at this year's E3, the studio has not yet started work on or even received the development kits for the port. A playable PS3 demo, meanwhile, is due out in March.

"We're making the PS3 version first, and then porting to the 360 later," director Motomu Toriyama stated in a video, according to GameSpot. "I'm telling them to not think about the Xbox 360 right now...We can think about it after the development kits arrive."

Square previously promised that the Xbox 360 release of Final Fantasy XIII would hit alongside the PS3 version in Europe and North America, prompting fears that the completed PS3 game will be held back in those regions until the port is finished,.

Along with the eventual Xbox 360 version of FF13, Square Enix has numerous 360 projects in various states of development, including The Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, and Star Ocean: The Last Hope.