Square Electronic Arts has announced that the first installment of the Final Fantasy franchise for the PlayStation 2 has been shipped to retailers and should be available to purchase in stores on Wednesday.

   source | NA

   Square Pictures is currently involved in at least one more project before the studio is sold due to movie losses. The project is a ten-minute long prequel to the upcoming Matrix sequel, The Matrix Reloaded. This currently untitled CG short will employ techniques perfected by Square Pictures during the creation of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
   Shots and conception artwork for the project can be found on the recently released Matrix Revisited DVD, which lists the short as part of "Animatrix," a compilation of short sequences produced by popular anime artists. No release date has been mentioned.

   source | The GIA

   Due to poor box office sales of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Square USA has decided to sell most or possibly all of their movie studio based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
   "The primary intent is for Square to not be in the film production business — but at the same time, the company did realize what a tremendous technological asset this studio brings to Square," Jun Aida said. "If we have our wish come true, we'd find a very strong partner, such as a major studio, who could bring us the benefit of a very creative thought process. What Square lacks is everyday experience with film production."
   The full article can be found here.

   source | Honolulu Advertiser

   SquareSoft has confirmed recent reports by announcing that the shipment of Final Fantasy X has been moved up from its December 26 release date to December 18. The game will now be available at retailers nationwide on December 20, just days before Christmas. The shipment on December 18 will still be in limited quantities, with the game's full release planned for January.

   source | GameSpot VG