Ouya will be getting Final Fantasy III as a launch title

Success of the $99 console Kickstarter project Ouya will mostly depend on the launch titles for the system. Ouya recently posted an update on its Kickstarter page that it’s partnering with Square Enix to bring one of the most beloved franchises in gaming to the console – Final Fantasy.

Ouya plans to kick the franchise off with the release of Final Fantasy III as a launch title for the console. This will be the first time gamers outside of Japan can play Final Fantasy III on their TVs through a console.

According to the blog post, “We’re promising to deliver Final Fantasy III like you’ve never seen it before - Hironobu Sakaguchi’s third installment in the role playing game franchise will be updated to exploit OUYA’s high-definition resolution in glorious graphic detail.” The game will also get a free demo for those new to Final Fantasy to see if they like the game.

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Final Fantasy III will be a launch title for the Ouya

This is after the recent news that the game streaming service OnLive will be making its way to the Ouya console. OnLive’s general manager in the UK, Bruce Grove confirmed the move in a statement to TechRadar, “When OnLive first heard about Ouya, we were excited to see console gaming becoming more available and open”.

“Like OUYA, we came to gaming with a new vision for making top-quality gaming accessible to more people, and we continue to look for ways to expand on that vision”, Grove continued, “OUYA is rethinking the console business, making waves by using standard technology to make gaming for your living room accessible, affordable and more innovative than ever. In OnLive’s case, we pioneered a groundbreaking, cloud-based system that instantly delivers games to any device on demand. We are pleased to announce that OnLive will be available on OUYA at launch, extending and building on our commitment to make the best games available to everyone, everywhere.”

The Ouya Kickstarter started in July. The team working on the Ouya has a dream of changing how the current console market works, where console manufacturers have a tight leash over what games can and can’t be on their system. Julie Uhrman, founder of Ouya – who has had executive experience at IGN, Vivendi Universal, and GameFly – thinks it’s about time the console market finally learned something from platforms such as the iOS, about new business strategies. “It’s ironic. All the growth in gaming is moving to mobile platforms, [and] we’re seeing a lot of AAA developers leaving their console shops to go to mobile. Yet three out of every four dollars is still spent in the living room, a majority of gaming time is still spent on the TV, and if you survey any gamer they’ll tell you their No. 1 platform is the TV", Uhrman said.

Previously unreleased in the outside Japan until it appeared as a 3D remake for the Nintendo DS in 2006, Final Fantasy III was widely referred to as one of the “missing pieces” in the FF series. OUYA players will now be able to claim this piece of the puzzle.