Our contacts have confirmed to us that Sony will be producing a Final Fantasy XIII bundle that will contain both a PlayStation 3 slim and a copy of Final Fantasy.

While we hear that it will arrive on December 17th, which is the same day that the game will launch in Japan, it is unknown if it will be a customized themed version of the console or just the regular system bundled with the game.

While we expect that more details will arrive soon, one thing is for sure: at least for the time being, it will be a Japanese-only bundle release. We suspect that you will hear more about it at the Tokyo Game Show in a few weeks as Japanese retailers will be gearing up to accept pre-orders; but at least for the moment, our sources say that Sony has not ruled out the possibility of bringing out the bundle in other markets as localized versions of Final Fantasy XIII are completed.

Still, no word on when North America or Europe can expect to see Final Fantasy XIII, but we continue to hear that it will be early next year at the earliest.