E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV is not PS3 exclusive, more details revealed

Today we got to spend some time with the team of Final Fantasy XIV in a seekret Square-Enix press conference at E3 and land some goodies about the game.

While the team was generally tightlipped about what they had planned for their next MMO, the one thing they were very clear about was that PC users will be able to jump into the Final Fantasy experience once more. While the game is currently a console exclusive for the PS3, a Windows version will be releasing at the same time.

In addition, the team did mention that they were still "considering all hardware possibilities" regarding the game. While it's not a full confirmation that the game will be coming to other consoles, it doesn't exactly write out the possibility either. Perhaps the game will be a timed exclusive, much like FFXI has done, rather than a full exclusive, but there is no clear indication that this is the path they will take at this time.

So what else has the team revealed? Follow us after the break and we'll drop the other details we know on FFXIV.

%Gallery-65025%

If you had any qualms on who exactly was developing the game, relax -- it's the Final Fantasy XI development team. As an interesting side note, FFXIV wasn't planned to be an MMO. The team simply looked at all of their options and they chose the option that would allow them to "make the best Final Fantasy they could make." This option was, of course, an MMO.

They have confirmed that they will be bringing all of the lessons that they've learned from FFXI's seven years of operation, as well as a few tricks they've learned from other games, such as World of Warcraft. However, they don't want to make another copy of World of Warcraft with the Final Fantasy name.

One such thing that FFXIV will feature is more casual friendly features. Soloing will be included in the game, as well as plenty of options to group up and go on adventures. The job system will be making a return to the game, but there will also be a new focus on the development of the base character, although they would not go so far as to say what they were planning.

The former races from FFXI will be back, as the team didn't want to change the races so players could continue with the races they already love. This world, however, is not Vana'diel. The races have stayed the same, but the world has not -- a tradition of the Final Fantasy series. In short, you will not be able to transfer your character from FFXI to FFXIV. They will be two separate games in two separate worlds.

FFXI will not be discontinued and FFXIV is not here to replace it. The games will continue onwards separately, and FFXI will still be supported on its own.

For those of you who completely despised PlayOnline -- the service will not be making a repeat appearance. PlayOnline will not be the launcher for FFXIV, but you will hopefully not lose your POL friends list. The team is working on a way for the friends list to be transferred over into FFXIV.
The trailer that the website currently sports is, in fact, a mixture of in-engine footage and pre-rendered video. The team is shooting for an extremely high quality game that can easily be confused with pre-rendered video, much like Final Fantasy XIII's graphical quality.

Lastly, we had to ask, why should people play FFXIV? The team's response was that they feel players will fall in love with the story and the world that they have created.

Massively is on the ground in Los Angeles this week and covering all the latest E3 MMO news coming from the convention. Check out our breaking coverage (or all the Joystiq network E3 reporting) and keep your eye on Massively's front page for the latest developements.