Producer Yoshinori Kitase and director Motomu Toriyama have stated that the story for the upcoming sequel to Final Fantasy XIII will have a much darker tone. There will also be returning characters from FFXIII, albeit “with major and unexpected changes” made to them.
The duo also noted that they will be reacting to criticism levelled at the original game for its characters, plot and interface. The easy mode introduced in the internation edition of FFXIII is also being considered for the new title.
Thanks to VG247 for the info.