final-fantasy-xiv-a-realm-reborn
Latest
Final Fantasy 14 expansion Heavensward announced
Square Enix MMO Final Fantasy 14 will be receiving its first expansion in spring 2015, reports our sister site, Massively. The expansion, called "Heavensward," will feature new jobs, a new race, new primals to fight, a level cap raise to 60 and new areas to explore, including the city-state of Ishgard, which is constantly at war with a horde of intelligent dragons. There's still plenty unanswered at this point in time. What are the new jobs? What is the new race and what does it look like? Is the expansion's title supposed to be "heaven sword" and "sword" is just misspelled? Or is it "heavens ward"? So many questions! Good thing we'll be able to find out more during the London Fan Festival on October 25. For now, if you're dying for any and every bit of Heavensward you can get, check out a teaser trailer after the break.
Final Fantasy 14 spawns Game of the Year edition only on PC
Square Enix's revamped massively multiplayer roleplaying game Final Fantasy 14 will soon see a Game of the Year edition re-release, though it's only coming to the PC. Tucked within a unique Book of Diamonds Grimoire box will be five collectible art cards, 90 days of subscription time and Final Fantasy 14 itself, along with all of the MMO's updates and content expansions. Though Square Enix recently announced plans to add the ninja and rogue classes to Final Fantasy 14 in the game's upcoming 2.4 patch, there's still no word on when that update might appear or if any of its content will be included in the Game of the Year release. Square Enix plans to release Final Fantasy 14 Game of the Year edition on November 14, but has yet to establish a price for the new bundle. [Image: Square Enix]
Dragon Quest X 'under consideration' for overseas markets
Square Enix is mulling over bringing Dragon Quest X overseas, although it's unclear if that includes markets in the West. In today's financial results briefing, the company discussed the Wii, Wii U and PC MMO in a section titled "Expansion of Overseas Businesses, primarily in Asia." However, no regions were specified for Dragon Quest X's possible exportation, and Square Enix has brought recent games in the RPG series to North America and Europe. Despite noting favorable retail performances for a number of recent games, including Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster and Thief, Square Enix didn't note any specific sales numbers in today's briefing. Looking ahead, the company noted plans to start launching "large-scale online titles developed by Western studios" in this fiscal year. Square Enix didn't specify particular games, although browser-based shooter/strategy hybrid Heroes and Generals is currently in open beta. Also, the company reiterated Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn is due to launch in China this summer. As per recent revisions, Square Enix posted an annual net profit of just under 6.6 billion yen ($64.8 million); compare that to the previous year when the company posted more than double that figure, but as a loss. Despite exceeding expectations across the year ending March 31, 2014, Square Enix is forecasting sales and profit performances similar to what it projected last year. For the year ending March 31, 2015, the company expects net sales of around 140 billion to 150 billion yen ($1.37 billion to $1.47 billion), and net profit between 3.5 billion and 6.5 billion yen ($34.3 million and $58.8 million). Square Enix may have turned loss into a profit this fiscal year, but the Japanese publisher continues to push the reforms it outlined in 2013. In today's statement, the company noted console game markets in the West are dominated by a small number of big-selling games, while smartphone and tablet gaming is "spreading rapidly." This speaks to the changes Square Enix spoke about this time last year, and its response to what it called "weak sales" of AAA console titles in the West. As part of those reforms, Square Enix wants to create a portfolio of games tailored to specific regions, and increase focus on tablets and mobile. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn surpasses 2 million registrations
This week's PS4 launch of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn helped the MMO pass the 2 million mark for registered accounts. Square Enix didn't reveal any hard figures for how many players are exploring Eorzea on PS4, but we know six months ago the number of registered accounts was at 1.5 million. Meanwhile, a trailer from February proclaimed the second-iteration MMO had "over 1.8 million adventurers." It's worth noting registrations do not equate to active subscribers, although the base game does require a purchase. According to a translated 4Gamer interview with Director Naoki Yoshida, in March around 500,000 people were logging into A Realm Reborn each day. [Image: Square Enix]
PSN Store Update: Final Fantasy 14, Trials Fusion, FIFA World Cup
It's football, fantasy, and FMX in this week's line-up of PlayStation Store additions for North America, starting with the full launch of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. PS4 players can hook up with the subscription MMO for $40, or $60 if they fancy some in-game items from the Collector's Edition. You can also transfer a PS3 copy across to PS4 - Amazon has the PS3 version going for $25. Next it's FMX: RedLynx's next attempt to break your controllers is Trials Fusion, and it's the first in the series to arrive on PlayStation. The PS4 game - also available on Xbox One, 360, and PC - adds freestyle tricks to the trademark mix of motocross and puzzle-platforming. The regular game is $20 but if you're wheelie keen for the upcoming DLC, a Deluxe Edition is $40 and comes with the season pass. Speaking of puzzles, the PS4 also gets a few brainteasers this week. Pure Chess and Backgammon Blitz are $8 each - you can get a game-pack stuffed Deluxe Edition of Pure Chess for $15 - and finally, That Trivia Game will set you back That Ten Dollars. Onto to PS3, and football - the rounder, kickier kind. The catchily titled 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is only on PS3 and Xbox 360, and you can score it as a $60 download on the former. Meanwhile, Beyond: Two Souls has been out for a while, but it's also now on PSN as a $60 download. Don't forget, this week's PS Plus freebie is the new Castle of Illusion, and that comes bundled with the Genesis original as a nostalgic bonus. Finally, the Vita has plenty of new releases including Conception 2 ($40, also out on 3DS) and Cross-Buy portable versions of Dead Nation ($8) and Ethan: Meteor Hunter ($10). For the full list of new releases, sales, and Plus discounts, head over to the PlayStation Blog. [Image: Ubisoft]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn PS4 launch trailer is simply the bestiary
There's no messing around with fancy CGI for FF14: A Realm Reborn's welcome on PS4; just some big ol' monsters - lots of them - and the game's flashy combat and sci-fi fantasy backdrops. Square Enix's MMO launches in full on PS4 today, and PS3 players can transfer across for free. [Image: Square Enix]
PSA: Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn PS3 to PS4 transfers go live today
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn enters its Early Access phase ahead of its full launch on Monday, and that means existing PS3 players can transfer their Eorzean adventures to PS4 as of today. Before you head off to hop across the generations, a reminder: It's a one-way trip. Once it's done, it's done, finito, end of. Your PS3 game is no more, it has ceased to be. To summarize, once you've switched to the PS4 game, Square Enix says there's no playing again on PS3 with your existing copy, so be sure it's what you want to do. If you'd prefer to play on both systems, you can purchase a PS4 version separately. As for the how, the PlayStation Blog has a step-by-step guide to take you from PS3 to PS4. Once you're there, you'll be able to explore among PS3 and PC players, and you can use your characters across all platforms that you've activated with your account. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy 14 - A Realm Reborn enters second PS4 beta today
The MMOs are coming. Just as The Elder Scrolls Online enters full launch, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn is prepping for PS4 with the second phase of its beta, and it's live right now. Just to remind you that it's completely open to all, and free to join and play all this weekend. Just head to the PlayStation Store, get downloading, and then get adventuring. Square Enix is calling it a beta, but it does connect to the servers PS3 and PC players are using, so PS4 heroes-to-be can hook up with everyone else already in Eorzea. Existing characters are eligible for the phase, and progress is transferred to the game proper when it launches fully on April 14. It's probably best to think of it as Super Early Access weekend that's free to all, and get in while you can because it ends on April 7 at 1AM PT/4AM ET/9AM UK time. For the record, the official Early Access is available to anyone who pre-orders the PS4 MMORPG, and that's scheduled to get going on April 11. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn delivered on Steam with half-off sale
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn is newly available on the realm of Steam, and the MMO is going for half-price at $15/£10/12.49 euros until February 25. That discount also applies to the Collector's Edition, which adds various in-game bonuses; it's reduced to $25/£17.49/20 euros. As with all versions, new accounts receive a 30 day trial of free game time. The second edition of Square Enix's flagship MMO (re)launched on Windows PC and PS3 in August 2013, and went on to accumulate more than 1.5 million registered accounts within two months. Expect those figures to rise considerably when it comes to the PS4 on April 11 on the back of two beta phases, the first of those launching alongside the system's arrival in Japan on Friday, February 22. [Image: Square Enix]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn gets PS4 trailer, beta details
Square Enix has a two-phase beta lined up for Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn on PS4, with the first beginning alongside the console's launch in Japan on February 22. The good news is the beta is open to all PS4 owners, and the first phase lasts over a week. That opening phase is scheduled for February 22 to March 3, the second April 4-7 - those phases are tied to Japanese Standard Time, so the US and Euro dates may be a day earlier. While the first phase ends with a character wipe, players can transfer their Eorzean heroes from the second phase into the retail game, which launches the week following on April 11. As for upgrading your PS3 copy of A Realm Reborn, you can do it as soon as the PS4 version launches and it won't cost you a dime, but you lose access to the PS3 version as a result. [Image: Square Enix]
Square Enix posts nine-month net profit, A Realm Reborn progressing 'favorably'
Square Enix recorded a net profit of 5.18 billion yen for the nine-month period ending December 31, which converts to around $51 million. It's a positive return after the major upheavals in recent months, and given the company posted a similar nine-month figure in the last fiscal year, but as a net loss. That restructuring resulted from what Square Enix described as extreme difficulty to sell its major games worldwide, and led the company to post a 1.6 billion yen (around $16.2 million) "extraordinary loss" in August 2013 after a "review" of its work-in-progress games. Some six months on, the picture looks rosier. Not only is Square Enix positive about its console games sales in North America, but it's also happy with its resurrected MMO Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, which has shown "favorable progress" sales-wise and with critics. Last we heard, the game had 1.5 million registered accounts, and that's ahead of its launch on PS4 in April. [Image: Square Enix]
AbleGamers announces 2013 Accessibility Award winners
The AbleGamers Foundation announced the winners of its 2013 Accessibility Awards, highlighting industry achievements and notable progress toward the group's goal of ensuring gameplay accessibility for players with disabilities. AbleGamers named Square Enix's Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn as its Accessible Mainstream Game of the Year, finding that the MMORPG approached "almost every area of accessibility with high standards and practical application." Final Fantasy 14 scored a 9.1 out of 10 in AbleGamers' accessibility review, with players reporting that the game was well-suited for one-handed play and sufficiently playable for those with hearing or vision impairments. AbleGamers additionally honored Galactic Cafe's The Stanley Parable as its Best Accessible Indie Game of the Year, and named the foot-controlled StinkyBoard accessory as its Best New Device or Peripheral. The full list of award recipients is available at the AbleGamers website.
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn to gather PS4 parties on April 14
PS4 users can summon Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn to their fancy new consoles on April 14, A Realm Reborn Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida announced during Square Enix's Letter from the Producer Live event. DualShockers reports that Square Enix will also release a collector's edition, which will bundle content from previous PS3 and PC collector's editions with a Fat Chocobo Mount and a Wind-Up Moogle Minion. DualShockers notes that those who purchased A Realm Reborn's collector's editions on previous platforms will receive the new items for free. While we didn't have have a specific date for A Realm Reborn's transition to PS4 until today, we already knew that the PS4 beta will begin on February 22. Those that started on PS3 can also try out the PS4 beta for free before deciding whether or not to double dip. Hopefully interested players can find a group they work with out of the 1.5 million accounts that have been registered for A Realm Reborn. And if not ... well, there's always Final Fantasy 15.
FFXIV: A Realm Reborn will launch on PS4 in April
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn can truly be called a special game, and it has a "Special Award" to prove it! The fantasy game was recognized at the PlayStation Awards 2013 ceremony for its originality, buzz-worthiness, influence, and performance, taking home the "Special Award" that was created to honor those exact qualities. Currently playable on the PS3, FFXIV: ARR will start beta on the PS4 February 22nd, 2014 and launch officially on that platform in April. Players who want to see the game in action on the new console before the beta can tune into the next Producers Letter Live on December 14th at 7:00 a.m. EST. At that time, Producer Naoki Yoshida will demonstrate the PS4 version as well as highlight The Wolves' Den, Treasure Hunting, and Daily Beast Tribe Quests, three aspects of the new 2.1 content that launches three days later. [Source: Square Enix press release]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn official PS4 launch dated April 2014
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn officially berths on PS4 in April 2014, but it's still marked to enter beta when the console launches in Japan on February 22. The news comes via the PlayStation Awards, where Square Enix's resurrected MMO picked up the "Special Award" - according to the publisher, the award was created this year to "recognize outstanding titles on the overall combination based on the following attributes: originality, buzz-worthiness, influence and performance." Buzz-worthiness aside (far to one side), Square Enix also revealed that A Realm Reborn Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida will showcase the PS4 version in a live broadcast, set for December 14 at 4AM PT/7AM ET. The video will also showcase content from the major 'A Realm Awoken' 2.1 patch, which launches a few days later on December 17. [Image source: GAME Watch]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn plays host to Lightning
Despite carrying the leading role in her own two games, Lightning has appeared in Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn's land of Eorzea. Lightning's debut in the MMO brings with it a new story arc, the completion of which will reward players with up to eight new weapons and gear for male and female characters. Lightning's new quest is already on its second chapter, but players can still access the arc's first chapter, as well as all future installments, until the event concludes on December 9 at 10 a.m. Eastern. The story's future chapters will unlock on November 18 and November 20 and will require a character equal to or higher than level 38 or 45, respectively. If you've yet to try the game out, new accounts are granted a 30-day trial.
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn has 1.5 million registered accounts
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, the re-launched version of the original FF14, has found new life in the form of 1.5 million accounts being registered to explore its new world, Famitsu reports. That doesn't mean that 1.5 million people are actively playing the game, of course. Still, considering the initial launch prompted Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada to suggest the game had "greatly damaged" the Final Fantasy brand, it's a decent victory for the title's rebirth to draw such attention. With the PS4's beta version planned to launch on the same day as the Japanese PS4, the game's player base stands a chance to continue growing significantly in the coming months.
Square Enix resumes Final Fantasy XIV online sales
In the wake of server issues, queue struggles, and player complaints, it looks as though Square Enix is feeling a little better about the operational state of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn -- so much better that the game is once again available for purchase in digital form from the official Square Enix store. Sales were halted soon after FFXIV's re-launch due to server instability and quite a few other problems. Those who were lucky enough to snag a copy before sales went offline have been suffering through login restrictions and other emergency measures put in place to help even things out and keep the servers from exploding. With sales back online and more people rushing into the fray, Final Fantasy XIV seems to finally be moving forward, one Chocobo-sized step at a time. [Thanks to everyone who sent this one in!]
FFXIV PS4 beta coming February 2014, PS3 players get in free
If you play Final Fantasy XIV's newest incarnation A Realm Reborn on the PlayStation 3, Square Enix has some news just for you: You'll be able to get into the PS4 beta free when it launches February 22nd, 2014. Even better, the studio has also announced that players will not have to repurchase the game to upgrade consoles, but will be able to transition with no additional cost. All character data will be transferred to the new console, so play can continue uninterrupted on your favorite toons upon release. [Thanks to Space Cobra for the tip!]
Final Fantasy 14 PS3 players will be able to play PS4 beta for free [update]
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn players that begin their quest on the PS3 will be able to play the PS4 version's beta for free, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced today. The beta for the PS4 version of A Realm Reborn will launch alongside the console in Japan on February 22. Update: A Square Enix Europe press release confirms players will be able to carry over character data when transitioning from PS3 to PS4. The date noted in the press release is also February 22, indicating the PS4 beta will likely begin globally on that day.
