Square Enix

The Paris Fanfest for Final Fantasy XIV is in town and with it another keynote to outline the content that can be expected for the MMORPG's third expansion, Shadowbringers, not to be confused with Stormblood when abbreviated, because...wait, why have they done that? That just adds unnecessary confusion...

The first key point is the expansion will be available on the 2nd July this year. If you pre-order from the 6th February, you can participate in the expansion's early access period from the 28th June, providing the servers do not buckle the moment everyone attempts to queue in.

The Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest is back in town - in Las Vegas at least - and naturally it's time for Yoshi-P to face an adoring crowd to announce that Final Fantasy XIV Immortal will be released for mobile devi [checks script] no, that didn't happen. They announced the MMO's third expansion, FFXIV 5.0 Shadowbringers. This expansion will follow the usual two-year rule set by the previous two expansions, so expect an approximate release window of June 2019.

Square Enix held a special livestream dedicated to Final Fantasy XV, now near its second anniversary. Fans of the game in time zones during slightly less antisocial hours of the day tuned in with fervent attention to see how the promised second season pass and the accompanying four DLC episodes of the game were shaping up. Things were looking good going into the event from the public's perspective. Chief antagonist Ardyn was about to take the spotlight with his own DLC episode, followed by an Aranea side story and two extra episodes dedicated to Lunafreya and Noctis. What could possibly go wrong?

It is almost time to close off the Xehanort saga once and for all. As promised, the full Tokyo Game Show trailer for Kingdom Hearts III is available and grants us an expanded look into the world of Big Hero 6 and the film's protagonists you will be fighting with, from Hiro to Go Go to Baymax. Also revealed is the official boxart for the game, which covers the entire ensemble cast of heroes spanning from across the entirety of the franchise thus far.

Square-Enix want to make it up to Nintendo console fans. For too long they've been starved of Final Fantasy releases and with the exploding popularity of the Nintendo Switch and the very recent success of Octopath Traveler, perhaps now is the time to once again bless Nintendo with a considerable catalogue of ports. These range from core mainline entries to a few lesser known spin-off titles.

Does anyone remember The Last Remnant? It released in 2008 exclusively for the Xbox 360 (and PC shortly after) and was one of the very few HD JRPGs actually released by Square Enix during the previous generation. While the game is now no longer available on Steam, a remastered version for PlayStation 4 was announced and is scheduled to release digitally on the 6th of December this year in western territories.

Fans of the Tales of series may already know that long time series producer, Hideo Baba, left Bandai Namco following Tales of Zestiria to found and lead a new development studio under Square Enix's wing. The new Studio Istolia is currently working on a brand new original fantasy RPG tentatively titled Project Prelude Rune for the PlayStation 4 and as of this year's Tokyo Game Show, finally demonstrated a short sample of what the game and its main protagonist will look like.

It's lives!

For those of you unaware, Left Alive is a survival action shooter worked on by veteran leads such as Toshifumi Nabeshima (of Armored Core fame); Takayuki Yanase, who designed many mechs over the years, such as the ones in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Ghost in the Shell: Arise; and Yoji Shinkawa, whose distinctive artwork is recognised by many a fan of the Metal Gear Solid games. It serves as a spiritual successor to the Front Mission games, exchanging tactical RPG gameplay for a tactical shooter affair.

Does anyone remember Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles? It was a primarily multiplayer-based spinoff cult classic for the Nintendo Gamecube. Due to technological limitations at the time that required the need for four wired Game Boy Advances to hook to the console for that 4-player experience, the game was lost to time until now. With the era of ubiquitous online multiplayer gaming, Square Enix are bringing this multiplayer spinoff back with a remastered version, for both PS4 and the Nintendo Switch.

All aboard the Gummi Ship for San Fransokyo!

Though we have known for a while that Big Hero 6 will be one of the playable worlds in Kingdom Hearts III along with fellow newcomers such as Tangled, Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Frozen, we've yet to actually see any footage of this world until now. With the Tokyo Game Show just around the corner, Square Enix Japan have released a new short teaser trailer. In it we are introduced to Hiro and Baymax of the film, other characters in the game's other worlds and of course, the overarching villains of the entire franchise.

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.

Interested in attending a Final Fantasy XIV concert? The Eorzean Symphony orchestra shall be heading to Los Angeles, California in June, and to Dortmund, Germany in August 2018!

Expect to experience many of your favourite Eorzean tunes performed by a full orchestra!

Details (copied from Final Fantasy XIV Lodestone):

Los Angeles, California
Location: Dolby Theatre
Schedule:
Friday, June 15, 2018 – Doors Open 7:00 p.m. / Performance 8:00 p.m. (PDT)
Saturday, June 16, 2018 – Doors Open 7:00 p.m. / Performance 8:00 p.m. (PDT)

Dortmund, Germany
Location: Konzerthaus Dortmund
Schedule:
Friday, August 24, 2018 – Doors Open 19:00 / Performance 20:00 (CEST)...

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: