Japanese company tri-Ace is helping Square-Enix develop Final Fantasy XIII-2. tri-Ace is well known for games like Valkyrie Profile and the Star Ocean series. Yuichiro Kitao (lead programmer on some of tri-Aces biggest titles) twitted earlier today that tri-Ace is involved in Final Fantasy XIII-2 helping Square with gameplay, art and programming.
tri-Ace is listed under the third-party contractors during FFXIII-2’s credits.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 will launch in North America on January 31st.