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A Realm Reborn may be the subtitle to the completely re-done version of Final Fantasy XIV, but looking at the new logo you'd be more inclined to think it was the other way around. It's an apt name for what is now being revealed as a complete overhaul of a game which was criticized in just about every way imaginable when it first came out last year.

The branding is just the beginning of what's new about this incarnation of the game. Originally referred to as Version 2.0, A Realm Reborn isn't just an update of the existing FFXIV (though Square Enix has also been busy working in that regard as well); the game has been entirely rebuilt from the ground up with an intended winter release. While it certainly reflects a willingness on Square Enix's part to listen to their fans and admit their mistakes, it remains as yet unclear what and how much will be different.

Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of the project, went on to add in a press release that "this new title not only becomes a symbol of a completely new Final Fantasy XIV, but also marks the beginning of a new stage as the latest title in the Final Fantasy series." Now, I'm not sure whether Yoshida's original comments were this foggy or if ambiguity was added in the process of translation, but depending on how you read it the second half of this statement could be either an exercise in redundancy or - a bit frighteningly given the absolute mess surrounding SE's most recent foray into online gaming - a comment on the direction of future titles in the Final Fantasy series.

Source: Kotaku

Remember how our most recent news post reported that FF Versus XIII development had been canceled? Well, um, turns out... that isn't the case.

In a recent Twitter post, Yoichi Wada himself not only denied such claims as 'false rumors' but also added that he had recently returned from one of the team's regularly scheduled meetings. So, it looks like the development of FF Versus XIII is still as alive (and slow) as ever.

While these comments don't necessarily validate or contradict any of the FFXV rumors mentioned in the previous CoN newspost, Wada's comments regarding a city from Versus XIII discussed at the aforementioned meeting seem to point towards some of the FFXV speculations holding true for FF Versus XIII.

Source: NovaCrystallis.com

The rumored future of Final Fantasy games features in this edition of the Squenix Tidbits, and not all of it is awesome. Of course, most people would probably say that is of zero surprise, but, that's how it is.

Let's get the bad news out of the way: Kotaku reports today that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is finally dead; while the reporting is mostly conjecture at this point, it's pretty reasonable conjecture given the utter lack of visible progress on offer from Squenix. The real question, beyond the simple matter of the game dying, is when it died. Has the company been pouring resources into the development until very recently, or was it quitely shelved a long time ago? The answer to that question might determine what resources are available for other games, which is important due to the widespread notion that the flagship series is worth next to nothing these days. Perhaps having more people available could help.

The next rumor is that Final Fantasy XV is going to be an open world game, in the style of Final Fantasy XII. On top of that, the Squenix source quoted indicates that the game's already been in some level of production for four years, with full development kicking off in January 2010, will have a combat system that calls back to both Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story, and will have cities that not only really exist but are populated by crowds of people, not just a few "important" townsfolk. Along with these points, it's also rumored that the game will be released for every platform available in the release generation. Given that the game hasn't even been unveiled officially yet, it would stand to reason that this would include the next offerings from Microsoft and Sony, as well as possibly even the WiiU.

The Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary event is coming up at the end of August, running from 31 August to 2 September. The first day will be for the press and some selected members of the Japanese Square Enix Members site, with the last two days open to the public. While this will obviously have massive amounts of Final Fantasy nostalgia, given the nature of the event, the company is looking to show the future of the franchise at the same time, with events to discuss more of the next aspect of the Final Fantasy XIII series, more information about Final Fantasy XIV 2.0, and a live recording of a Square Enix podcast dedicated to the future of the Final Fantasy series. With this event and the Tokyo Game Show both on the radar, a lot of questions about what's next for Final Fantasy might become resolved very soon.

Source: Kotaku, Gameranx, andriasang

Did you play FFXIII-2? Did you download Lightning's extra content? Did you feel a bit of a let-down at the conclusion of either, or, more tactfully, "a feeling of mystery and hope"? If you answered yes to these three questions, then you are unlike myself. But you are not alone! In a recent interview with Famitsu, FFXIII and FFXIII-2 director Motomu Toriyama agreed that FFXIII-2 leaves some loose ends, and he promised that we would be shown the meaning of this sometime in the not-so-distant future.

Could this mean more downloadable content? Could it mean a third installment in the FFXIII ? We couldn't possibly comment (though Kotaku certainly isn't above jumping to conclusions), but 'trilogy' certainly does have a lovely ring to it. Of course, there's also the possibility that these unanswered questions could somehow tie in to FF Versus XIII. Remember that game?

Toriyama also commented on fan complaints concerning the concept of having downloadable content in the first place, responding that including such material in the game proper would cause development times to go up. Not the most satisfying reply, but an accurate one I suppose.

In the same interview, Toriyama also admitted that FFX HD, unlike the mystery of FFXIII-2's ending, will not be made clear anytime soon, saying that "there is a lot to look into."

When asked about the Luminous engine, Toriyama explained that, while still in development, teams at Square Enix have begun planning for its use in the next generation of games. With the next generation not all that far off, this could very well be the reason why we've seen a bit of a dearth of new titles or information from the Japanese giant.

Source: andriasang, Kotaku

The site leak from a couple weeks back was confirmed today as Square Enix officially announced the existence of the Final Fantasy VII re-release on PC via its official site and social media.

The site is either really poorly optimized or is getting absolutely hammered right now (probably a bit of both, in fact), so you might not be able to reach it. It's pretty general information, and most of it is stuff that was reported before from the leak. One thing certainly worth noting is that the site says the game will be available exclusively from the Square Enix store, which would imply that the achievements and cloud saving features will be unique to this game and will not use technology like Steamworks. Additionally, the exclusivity might mean that a Steam (or Origin, if you're a masochist) release may not be in the cards at all.

Will it still be worth the rumored twelve-dollar entry fee without Steam? I'm no longer sure it is for me, but I'll have to see how it looks and runs, first. That information isn't yet available, nor is any kind of real release date.

Source: Final Fantasy VII PC

Square Enix CEO, Yoichi Wada, has told shareholders that the company won't be remaking Final Fantasy VII until such time as the franchise produces a new installment which surpasses the fan favourite. This statement was made hand-in-hand with the admission that recent Final Fantasy games have been inferior and that a remake at this point would imply that the franchise is finished. It's open to debate whether or not any Final Fantasy game has passed this benchmark to date, but it appears Wada certainly doesn't think so.

It remains to be seen whether this strengthens or weakens the recent rumours of a PC re-release, as reported previously, but one thing is for certain - we won't be seeing a full remake any time soon.


Source: Den of Geek, Andriasang