Square seems to be anticipating heavy demand for the soon-to-be-released Final Fantasy X-2.; the company announced earlier today that it has shipped a total of 1.8 million units of the title to stores. This is probably a fairly reasonable expectation; Final Fantasy X has itself sold over 4 million units worldwide, and no fewer than a million in any major territory in which it has been released.

Final Fantasy X-2 picks up where the original title left off, following the adventures of Yuna the Summoner and the Al-Bhed Rikku. With a number of new characters, an entirely new battle system and a host of other changes from FFX, the sequel is sure to live up to the series' tradition of an almost total lack of similarity between its composite titles. A North American release is expected, possibly later this year, though an exact date has yet to be confirmed.