FinalFantasyUnion.com writes, "Fans of Final Fantasy should be pretty happy with Square Enix right now, not only because of the announcement of the March 9, 2010 release date, but the facts behind it.
Previously the Final Fantasy with the closest Japanese and North American release dates were Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IX. Both IV and IX came out in July in Japan, in their respective years (1991 and 2000), and then North America in November, again in their respective years. Four months isn't a bad wait, but Final Fantasy IX took another four months to reach Europe, and Final Fantasy IV didn't make it until years later on the PlayStation.
Final Fantasy XIII however is releasing in North America and Europe less than three months after it's Japanese release. Never before has a Final Fantasy's regional release dates been so close together, and never before has a main series Final Fantasy launched in both North America and Europe simultaneously."