Square Enix

E3 season is upon us. For many, this is a momentous occasion. An annual ritual like no other. A period of sheer glee where we can bask in child-like wonder and speculate on what Santa Claus will bring come his next visit. Few companies inspire this essence of wondrous nirvana like Square Enix, a company with a history of igniting pure, unadulterated excitement while barely saying anything of substance. Square Enix can drive a fan crazy like few other major corporations can, besides maybe Apple. So unsurprisingly, when they announced in the run-up to this year's E3 that they have a press conference for the first time since 2015, auspiciously touting it "the next chapter is about to begin", expectations soared.

The currently Japanese exclusive popular free-to-play mobile entry in the Star Ocean series of games is finally due to spread its wings and expand its presence beyond its home territories. Square Enix is apparently bringing Tri-Ace's Star Ocean: Anamnesis to western App stores for iOS and Android devices. True to the Star Ocean franchise, Anamnesis retains the familiar real-time 3D combat system and also promises co-op multiplayer battles on top of the freedom for players to choose the composition of their party squads using characters from across all mainline games.

The Final Fantasy XV train chugs on unabated. At PAX East, Square Enix have laid out a roadmap, detailing what the four new DLC chapters for the game will entail, along with rough window estimates for when we can expect to see their release. In addition, future content updates will include the ability to transpose your created character in Comrades over to the base game to replace Noctis as the on-screen main protagonist.

The momentum for FFXV continues. Since its release in November 2016 the game has seen three DLC episodes and even an entire paid multiplayer expansion DLC. Now Square Enix are poised to continue support for the game with a fresh slate of DLC episodes in the pipeline and a second season pass. Originally three additional DLC episodes were in the cards, though it would now seem there will be a total of four, with Episode Ardyn due to kick things off.

If you're a raider and a Final Fantasy VI fan, Yoshi-P has decided to be extra kind to you in this next upcoming patch for Final Fantasy XIV. Patch 4.2: Rise of a New Sun will be live on the 30th January and it brings a plethora of FFVI fanservice when the next raid tier, Omega Sigmascape, is unlocked. Expect a good number of familiar enemies...a very familiar face and an equally familiar signature theme song to go with it.

If you held off on purchasing Final Fantasy XV in the event that a "complete" edition would eventually emerge, your patience will soon be rewarded. Square Enix have announced Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition, an update over the base game with over 20 add-ons and DLC. Interestingly, both the Royal Edition and Windows Edition will feature an expanded map of Insomnia with new enemies and sidequests, and even a first-person camera mode.

What you can expect to see from these two new versions of the game:

Gladiolus and Prompto have already had their own episodic DLC outings, and Ignis will not be too far behind. The last of the bros' character DLC episodes will be officially released on the 13th December, as unveiled by this week's Sony Paris Game Week live conference. For fans of Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Xenosaga, Shadow Hearts and the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles 2, famed composer Yasunori Mitsuda is on board for Episode Ignis's soundtrack.

There will be spoilers to come, so for anyone still yet to reach Chapter 9 of Final Fantasy XV, you may wish to divert your eyes elsewhere.

After yesterday's showcasing of Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition (essentially a 170GB-sized PC version of the game designed for 4k), today at Gamescom 2017 sees another announcement related to Noctis and his retinue. Meet Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition, a smartphone game for iOS, Android and Windows 10 devices you never even knew you wanted!

In rather expected news, Square Enix have officially announced that the next installment in their Dragon Quest franchise will leave Japan to head for western shores sometime next year, under the moniker of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. No platforms have been announced for the western release.

An overview of the game was provided by Square Enix:

Last year's Final Fantasy XV will receive a multiplayer expansion entitled Comrades. Square Enix have freshly announced that worldwide closed beta tests for the expansion will take place from the 2nd August to 8th August. To be eligible for participation, you must have purchased a Season Pass for the game or the Digital Premium Edition, with an active PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live membership.

It will five years after Kingdom Hearts III was officially announced, but Sora and friends will return in 2018, confirms Square Enix. In the meantime, you can enjoy this new trailer of the game and the confirmation that Pixar's Toy Story will be one of the game's worlds. You're used to Tom Hanks voicing Woody, but have you ever heard Japanese Woody?

Square Enix have released the official trailer for the second paid DLC for last year's Final Fantasy XV. Episode Prompto is due on the 27th of this month and will naturally focus on Prompto in a more story-driven third-person shooter experience combined with light stealth elements. This DLC episode takes place following the events of Prompto falling off a Niflheim-bound train where terrible revelations await in a Magitek facility.

Naturally, the trailer will reveal spoiler elements, plus a certain supporting character who is about to make a very welcome return.

The elusive Kingdom Hearts III actually showed up with a new trailer at the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour- event in Los Angeles. As the game will not appear at E3 2017 this year, this will be the only time we will see the game before next month's D23 Expo event on 15 July where Square Enix promise a new world announcement followed with yet another new trailer.

If you were hoping for a PS4 version of this arcade game, you are in luck. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT has been officially announced via a Japanese online stream, just after it was leaked by Amazon of all places, with an expected worldwide release of early 2018. This version of the game is developed by Team Ninja, the Koei Tecmo studio known for Nioh, Ninja Gaiden and the Dead or Alive series.

In this edition of Square Enix non-news, the company is currently forecasting for their next two upcoming Japanese RPG blockbuster single player titles to launch somewhere "in the next three years or so". This was stated by CEO Yosuke Matsuda himself during an outline of the company's fiscal year 2017 performance (which has recently ended on the 31st March this year).

We've had a sneak preview of this song during the Frankfurt Fanfest back in February and now here is the full version of the "Revolutions" theme song for FFXIV's upcoming second expansion. Like with "Dragonsong" two years prior, it is in AMV form with footage from the expansion's main scenario itself, so for players who have yet to complete the main scenario up to this point or are averse to spoilers in general, bear this in mind. As has become traditional, Nobuo Uematsu and Susan Calloway returned to lend their talents once again, respectively as the song's composer and the vocalist.

No, this is not an April Fool's joke, though you're forgiven for initially thinking it is. I certainly did.

Game of War developer Machine Zone has been developing what is purportedly a Final Fantasy XV mobile MMO. With the Californian studio's claim to fame (and riches) being primarily Game of War, it's perhaps unsurprising that their take on FFXV looks like erm...Game of War? It essentially looks like a browser game where you build a town, upgrade it, send out armies and have garrisons on standby to push back against invaders who dare to march into your proud metropolis.

Someone at Square Enix has let Nomura out of the office for a brief moment to allow him to say a couple of (brief) things about the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake to Weekly Famitsu magazine. The battles in the game will indeed be action-based, rather than the familiar command-based ATB system that fans are likely familiar with. In addition, cover will be a seamless affair. If players choose, Cloud can dash behind cover as a tactical manoeuvre.

What a twist! Yoshi-P strung us along, instilling in everyone the belief that Stormblood, FFXIV's second expansion, will solely take place in the region surrounding imperial-controlled Ala Mhigo. With the Frankfurt Fanfest keynote wrapped up, it would appear that the bulk of the expansion will instead take place in the Far East, far away from Eorzea and in the land of Othard. If we're going to try and liberate Ala Mhigo, we may as well try our hand at liberating Doma from the very same oppressors too? With its Edo-era architecture and sprawling landscapes inspired by oriental lands from centuries ago, it is more than apt given the very distinct Far East theme that the second new job revealed for Stormblood to accompany Red Mage will beSamurai.

Marvel is hard at work cultivating a video games initiative project, with the aim to build a strong portfolio of high-quality games based on their successful comic book and movie properties. Insomniac is already developing a new Spider-Man for PS4 and Telltale Games is working on a Guardians of the Galaxy game. Now it's Square Enix's turn, enjoying a new multi-game partnership with Marvel. To spearhead this collaborative project, the company announced on Twitter that an Avengers game is in development.