Final Fantasy creator takes aim at Sony and Microsoft

Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, has criticised the PlayStation 3 for being difficult to develop for - and accused Microsoft of failing to promote Xbox 360 effectively in Japan.

Sakaguchi's comments appear in the latest issue of US magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly, as reported by 1UP. When asked why he has no current plans to develop games for PlayStation 3, he is said to have replied, "The machine's architecture is tricky, and I don't like Ken Kutaragi."

Sakaguchi was more positive with regard to the Nintendo Wii, describing the system as "intriguing". But he added, "Right now, I have no plans on making a game for the Wii."

The first game from Sakaguchi's Mistwalker studio, Blue Dragon, went on sale in Japan last December. Its release gave a much needed boost to Xbox 360 sales, which have so far been disappointing - a fact which Sakaguchi blames on Microsoft's failure to communicate effectively with Japanese consumers.

"Microsoft has to change its marketing strategy in Japan. There are a lot of excellent games on the 360, far better games than what's on the Wii or PS3. But not a lot of people in Japan have a clear idea what games like Gears of War are all about," he said.

And it's not just the marketing for Xbox 360 which Sakaguchi feels is lacking: "Just look at the Windows Vista commercial - it's terrible," he stated.