Final Fantasy News overload
Full details on how the Final Fantasy series will pan out, right here first!
As we sit patiently in the void between Japanese and European RPG release dates and having recently completed Final Fantasy IX, Square, not content with teasing us with playable FFX, has been talking of the next two instalments of the massive series.
At a recent shareholder meeting in Tokyo, SquareSoft made some solid commitments to the content of both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII.
FFXI will be an online RPG with offline features and will be heavily geared towards online play. It will run on the PlayOnline network that Square now owns and is developing at present. PlayOnline will be subscription based and will support up to 100,000 players per server. It was not mentioned how many servers will be operational but Square assured shareholders that demand would not outstrip supply.
Although the network will be broadband focussed, Final Fantasy XI will support users connecting with modems of 56 KBPS, meaning that the first generation of connectivity to be made available for the PlayStation 2 will work with the PlayOnline system.
The Japanese version of FFXI will be released in Japan at the end of March 2002. No mention was made of an American or European release. The company stated that it will be releasing the first playable beta version of Final Fantasy XI this November, which will be shown to press and play-testers at various events.
Furthermore, Square reiterated that FFXII will contain both online and offline gameplay but again will be heavily focussed on its online offerings.
In the same meeting with shareholders, Square announced with relief that the predicted 6 billion yen loss, forecast at the beginning of this financial year, was incorrect. The initial announcement saw the unthinkable happen, as Final Fantasy creator Sakaguchi was demoted in order appease angry shareholders.
The company stated that it lost a mere 3.1 billion yen, mainly due to the expensive production costs of the Final Fantasy movie and the dedicated development of the PlayOnline network. Square stated that ‘better than expected’ sales on Sony platforms was to thank for this upturn.
Square also stated that it would be rethinking its policy for guidebooks and walkthroughs for all of its upcoming titles. It said that the release of several endorsed books prior to the launch of Final Fantasy IX was to blame for the excitement and anticipation factor dropping at the critical time before the game’s release.
Sakaguchi also mentioned that he had a dedicated team looking into the possibilities for all future Final Fantasy games going multi-platform. Xbox and GameCube were both mentioned as viable machines.
At a recent shareholder meeting in Tokyo, SquareSoft made some solid commitments to the content of both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XII.
FFXI will be an online RPG with offline features and will be heavily geared towards online play. It will run on the PlayOnline network that Square now owns and is developing at present. PlayOnline will be subscription based and will support up to 100,000 players per server. It was not mentioned how many servers will be operational but Square assured shareholders that demand would not outstrip supply.
Although the network will be broadband focussed, Final Fantasy XI will support users connecting with modems of 56 KBPS, meaning that the first generation of connectivity to be made available for the PlayStation 2 will work with the PlayOnline system.
The Japanese version of FFXI will be released in Japan at the end of March 2002. No mention was made of an American or European release. The company stated that it will be releasing the first playable beta version of Final Fantasy XI this November, which will be shown to press and play-testers at various events.
Furthermore, Square reiterated that FFXII will contain both online and offline gameplay but again will be heavily focussed on its online offerings.
In the same meeting with shareholders, Square announced with relief that the predicted 6 billion yen loss, forecast at the beginning of this financial year, was incorrect. The initial announcement saw the unthinkable happen, as Final Fantasy creator Sakaguchi was demoted in order appease angry shareholders.
The company stated that it lost a mere 3.1 billion yen, mainly due to the expensive production costs of the Final Fantasy movie and the dedicated development of the PlayOnline network. Square stated that ‘better than expected’ sales on Sony platforms was to thank for this upturn.
Square also stated that it would be rethinking its policy for guidebooks and walkthroughs for all of its upcoming titles. It said that the release of several endorsed books prior to the launch of Final Fantasy IX was to blame for the excitement and anticipation factor dropping at the critical time before the game’s release.
Sakaguchi also mentioned that he had a dedicated team looking into the possibilities for all future Final Fantasy games going multi-platform. Xbox and GameCube were both mentioned as viable machines.
Companies:
Square
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