What challenges are presented by porting FFXI to other platforms?

[Feba]

SE has ported FFXI to PC and 360 already, and has no doubt looked into porting to other consoles such as PS3, Wii, and other operating systems.


What sorts of problems have come up in porting FFXI to other consoles? Has SE ever stopped work on a port after encountering significant obstacles, or are there any platforms SE would like to port to but is not able to?

[DakAttack]

There's a challenge in justifying it.

[NicasinXS]

A ps3 port of the game would be nice though I already play on ps3 HD partition for ps2 online game emulation.

A Wii version is probably possible if the game engine is simialar to the one used in ffxi. I read in a game website an interview with some ffxi game person from Japan that ps3 porting would mean making a whole new graphics engine to run it so its not a good idea, a better idea to make a whole new game on what was learned in the making and running of ffxi. I imagine the "next gen" square enix game will run on ps3, and if Sony has its way only ps3.

[LadyKiKi]

The market.

Cost (no way is there a chance to make back the cost, especially with a 4+ year old game)

Wasn't it ported to Xbox 360 because it used "similar" technology? (A Xbox360 is really a "closed off" PC I believe, with some differences) (correct me if I'm wrong, someone, I read this in newspapers)

[Feba]

I'm not talking about the economic problems, I'm talking about technical ones; I'm also not saying it would be nice or bad to have more ports. I'm just curious about what it takes to port something.

And Nica, there's no reason a PS3 port should need a graphics update more than 360, PC, or any other system.

[IfritnoItazura]

SE has ported FFXI to PC and 360 already
I don't think it's entirely accurate to say FFXI was ported to PC.

The PC version has always been part of the plan (like the English version), and it was developed concurrently, but with a staggered release to make sure the PS2 debut with polish by concentrating more resources on that version first.

FFXI for xBox360 was likely a port, but that's leveraging the PC code assets. Possibly the same with French and German levering the existing roman script support used by the English version anyway.

To move on to a completely alien platform which S-E cannot reuse the existing code base would be extremely costly. Then, there's the matter of potential return off of that kind of investment--in a word, "small".

As much as I'd like to see a Mac or Linux version of FFXI, it just doesn't seem very likely once the costs and benefits are weighted against each other.