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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.
Square Enix back to school sale is counterproductive to studying
Like the inevitable return of Final Fantasy 10's Sin, the first day of school is descending upon students, threatening all known joy and their tireless quest to save the world take a break from the books. You're not even safe until your first class either, because Square Enix has a pop quiz for you: What better way to prepare for the textbooks you'll never read than stocking up on adventures and time-intensive RPGs? The publisher's online store is offering discounts for reasons to procrastinate on homework, with potential savings increasing depending on how many games are purchased. Buying one game is matched with a 20 percent discount, two games earns 30 percent, and three or more reward shoppers with 50 percent off. Not everything in the store is fair game – the related press release lists "pre-orders, new releases, merchandise and soundtracks" as exceptions – but it does include Drakengard 3, Final Fantasy X/X2 HD Remaster, Thief and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. Older selections are applicable as well, including Just Cause 2 and Final Fantasy 12, but it all depends on you beating other shoppers to the punch before supplies run out. Square Enix's sale is a decent chance to save on games you might have missed, but remember: You can't limit break your way through a stumbling GPA. [Image: Square Enix]
Square Enix revises forecasts, sales exceed expectations
Here's something you don't see much in the doom and gloom of financial season: Square Enix is revising its forecasts up because it's posted better sales than expected across the fiscal year. The Japanese publisher said several games recorded positive sales, such as Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, Thief and, yes, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. What a difference a year and 6 million sales overall makes. The company also cited cost reduction initiatives and exchange gains on the ever-weaker yen as factors contributing to a greater net profit than projected. Square Enix expects now to record a profit for the year ending March 31, 2014 of 6.6 billion yen ($64.9 million). That's up a whopping 88.6 percent from the company's minimum estimates, and a significant 10 percent up from max figures. We should learn more about Square Enix's finances when the company releases its annual report, but the picture looks rosier than this time last year. After deciding to reform its AAA business in the wake of weak sales on console, the publisher continues to be pleased with the progress of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. Registrations surpassed the 2 million mark following last month's PS4 launch, and in today's statement Square Enix called out the MMORPG's software sales as "strong." [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]
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.
