Square Enix offers Cloud's iconic Final Fantasy VII costume as a preorder bonus for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Anyone who preorders Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be able to dress protagonist Lightning in Final Fantasy VII protagonist Cloud Strife's iconic outfit, Square Enix has announced.

The Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII preorder bonus pack comes with a limited-edition steelbook that features a downloadable code for Cloud's outfit, complete with Buster Sword and Soldier's Band.

Using the outfit, Lightning will get Cloud's victory animation and fanfare alongside some specific abilities that Square Enix says it will detail at a later date.

Another preorder option is available, called the Lightning Samurai Set. The set includes the Shogun, Sohei Savior, and Flower of Battle items.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in February 2014.

Square Enix is also working on Final Fantasy XV for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

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Next game from the Journey developer will continue the studio's focus on social gaming; intended to be published on multiple platforms.

ThatGameCompany president Jenova Chen has hinted at what the developer may be working on next in a recent interview with UK publication The Telegraph.

Chen said that while the next project is still in "pre-, pre-production mode," the studio that brought the arthouse games Flow, Flower, and Journey to the PlayStation 3 will continue to evolve its focus on social gaming.

"The next game after Journey is like, OK, we've done it with strangers on the Internet, can this also happen among people who know each other. It's a natural evolution of everything we are doing," he said.

With the studio's three-game agreement with Sony now complete, Chen said that the team is eager to move away from publisher-funded development. In June last year, ThatGameCompany announced that it had secured $5.5 million in venture capital funding, and hoped to bring its future games to multiple platforms. Despite critical acclaim and strong sales, the company cited platform exclusivity as a factor in its financial troubles while developing Journey.

"We've made three games and have completed the contract. So from this point on, we've raised venture capital because we wanted to own IP and put it on any platform we want," he said in the interview. While Chen didn't discuss any specifics surrounding the studio’s next game, he said, like all previous works, it would have broad appeal.

"Cloud and Flower are very much egocentric about my own expression, Flow is more utilitarian, and Journey is more about collaboration between various creative voices in the team. Our next game is going to be something that will relate to a wide audience on a human level. It is very exciting to see my own maturing and the team’s maturing, and I'm curious to see what this next game could be.’

Earlier this year, a job listing at the studio sought a scalability engineer for a "full-scale online service," which would be able to accommodate hundreds of thousands of users.

In a recent interview with FamilyGamer TV, Chen also revealed his interest in the Kinect 2.0 sensor that will ship alongside Microsoft's Xbox One console. He called out the technology's ability to capture facial expressions and subtle gestures, and is interested to see how they may be combined with gaming.

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Jordan Thomas has departed 2K Marin to create his own games and open an independent game studio; The Bureau: XCOM Declassified unaffected by departure.

The creative director of BioShock 2, Jordan Thomas, has left 2K Marin after more than five years with the developer.

Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Jordan Thomas revealed that a few key moments during the development of BioShock Infinite inspired him to branch out on his own.

A designer on the original BioShock and creative director on BioShock 2, Thomas realised his true calling whilst working on Infinite, saying, "It cemented for me that while BioShock spoke to me, it'll never be for me what it is for Ken [Levine]. I've expanded that legacy here and there, but I could never have created it from scratch."

"I need to build something that is, to me, what BioShock is to Ken. No matter how long it takes, I have to start now."

Thomas has plans to start up a two-person independent game studio with an unrevealed partner, and work on a project that draws upon immersive simulation games such as Thief. The former creative director did not share specific details about his immediate plans.

2K Marin is currently working on the upcoming tactical third-person shooter The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. The game's development should not be impacted by the departure of Thomas, who left the project in early 2012.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was first announced in 2010 as an untitled first-person shooter set in the XCOM universe. The game underwent an overhaul and was revealed in its current state in April this year. It is currently scheduled for release on August 20 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

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Bridging episode to go on sale this week for $4.99; decisions made in 400 Days will impact season two.

Last month, during the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Telltale Games confirmed its plans to release The Walking Dead: 400 Days, a bridging episode between the first and second seasons of its hit episodic adventure game.

Today, the company confirmed that the additional chapter will launch on selected platforms this week, landing first on the North American PlayStation Network on July 2, Steam and the Telltale Games Store on Wednesday July 3, and worldwide on Xbox Live from July 5. European PlayStation owners will be able to download the game from July 10, while the iOS version will launch globally on July 11.

The game takes place over 400 days in the same time period as the first season, but will not focus on Lee or Clementine. Instead, the game will be split into five short stories, each from the perspective of a different, new character in the universe. Players who have an existing save file from the first season will have their decisions carried over, while all choices made in 400 Days will also impact the upcoming second season, which will begin later this year.

The Walking Dead: 400 Days is not included in the original season pass, and will cost around $4.99. The game will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac, iOS, and, for the first time, Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld.

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