MMORPG Confirmed for E3 2009?

In a recent article in Electronic Gaming Monthly, Editor-In-Chief James Mielke suggests that Square Enix is finally going to unveil their follow up MMO to FFXI at E3 in June 2009. Even though he only states that it's "scuttlebutt around the industry" that is confirming this, it would be tough to bet against, given Mielke's relationship with the FFXI team and developers of the new MMORPG. Chances are Mielke knows more than he can reveil, but for now we'll have to wait till June to see what's in store for us.

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Source: http://www.aionsource.com/forum/culture-media/9956-square-enixs-next-mmo-unveiled-e3-2009-quote.html

Special thanks for reader EvilBarret for submitting this story.

Final Fantasy XI Fan Festival 2008

Square Enix and the Final Fantasy XI team have another FFXI Fan Festival planned this year for December 6th.  Like past years, this event will include a development panel presentation from the FFXI team (and the same team responsible for the new MMO.)  In the past they have confirmed at this event that they were working on this new MMO, so it's possible they might share some details on when we can expect more information.  Like always, check back for updates if anything comes from this.

Source: http://www.ffxifestival.com

New Countdown Site

Square Enix recently created a new site, www.bahamut.jp, where there is a countdown timer (currently set to end on monday.)  A few rumors are going around that this is Final Fantasy related, either involving a new expansion to Final Fantasy XI or possibly their new MMORPG.  Check back monday once we learn some new information, until then, enjoy the music on the website!

Microsoft and Square at TGS

Quick little update before TGS kicks up, apparently Microsoft and Square are teaming up at TGS in terms of their demo booths.  Xbox Japan marketing exec Joyoji Sakaguchi said they were doing to hold a raffle to let one lucky winner get to play a game at square enix's booth that has yet to be named.  TGS kicks off soon so more to follow.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5060396/microsoft-has-over-140-demo-kiosks-buddies-with-square-enix

Square Enix Releases TGS 2008 Lineup

Recently, Square Enix unveiled its lineup for what promises to be an eventful Tokyo Game Show on October 9th.  Unfortunately, it appears to be somewhat of a letdown as neither Final Fantasy XIII nor Final Fantasy XIII will be playable.  Also there is no mention of any upcoming MMORPG.  However, expect to see some changes and announcements leading up to the show, as well as some possible announcements at Microsoft's press conference.  Will update if anything else is known.

Source:  http://www.square-enix.co.jp/tgs08/titles

FFXIII to 360

So unless you live under a rock, you probably know that Final Fantasy 13 is coming to Xbox 360. This news was unveiled as the Microsoft E3 Press Conference. Square also announced that Last Remnant is also coming to the PC. I think this all but confirms that the new MMO is going to be on the PS3, 360, and PC. Let's hope more information is found out at TGS.

Square Enix to be at E3

Just a heads up to let everyone know Square Enix is going to be having a press conference at E3 next Tuesday (July 14.) They will be presenting at 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST). Expect to see some news about Final Fantasy XIII, The Last Remnant, and Infinite Undiscovery. Hopefully they will finally unveil the new MMO...

What major announcements will be made this year?

If the new MMO is a no show, it is possible it will be unveiled this year either at the Square Enix Party (August 2) or Tokyo Game Show (October 9). Stay tuned for an update once E3 is upon us.

Source: http://www.kotaku.com/5022639/e3-dud-or-a-blast

New MMO to differ from Final Fantasy XI?

In a June 19th interview with the Final Fantasy XI development team, James Mielke from 1up.com asked the team a couple questions pertaining to the new MMO. Although not much information was given, it seems that the team is taking the new MMO in a different direction than FFXI.

"First of all, the next-generation MMO that we'll be working on is going to be different than Final Fantasy XI. And even though we have the same staff working on the project, and we have seen the good things from XI, and we've also seen the things that the players maybe didn't like as much...while we're going to be using that info while we make the next MMO, we're not going to make something that'll be exactly like FFXI. We're aiming for something different from the beginning."

They added by saying the game won't necessarily replace FFXI and they hope that both can exist simultaneously.

"We want them to exist in the same world, to continue on side by side, without one replacing the other. And like we've always said before, as long as the players keep playing FFXI, we're going to continue making the content for it, and that has to do with the expansions as well. If players keep saying that they want to keep playing and that they want these things, then we'll keep providing them for them. For the time being it'll be handled with patches, like we have been doing. As for any announcements on the next MMO, I can't say anything."

Only time will tell how big of a change this game will be, but it's nice to know they learned from FFXI and will attempt to improve on the games shortcomings.

FFXI Development Team

Source: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?pager.offset=1&cId=3168323

No Show at RPG Show

Although the new MMO was not shown at the Microsoft RPG Press Event in Japan, there was some promising news. It seems that Square Enix is living up to its commitment to release its new games simultaneously worldwide. They proved this by revealing the release dates of two of their anticipated RPGs, Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant. So hopefully they will continue this trend and make the MMO available to play by everyone as soon as it comes out.

A trend for future Square Enix RPGs? Let's hope so.

Don't forget, Milky is still planning on interviewing the FFXI team so expect at least some news in the upcoming week.

Source: http://kotaku.com/...2008-press-conference-round+up

Microsoft RPG Press Conference

This Tuesday, Microsoft will be holding a press conference in Shibuya, Japan to show some off some of their upcoming RPGs on Xbox 360. Expect to see The Last Remnant and Infinite Undiscovery, but according to 1up.com's James Mielke, Microsoft has some surprises up their sleeves. Could one of those surprises be the new MMORPG? Normally I wouldn't consider it to be unveiled at a Microsoft Press Conference, but they are showing other multi-platform Square Enix games aka The Last Remnant.

The Last Remnant, Square Enix's multi-platform Unreal Engine RPG.

Even if it is not shown there, it is quite possible that information could show up in a future issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly as the Milkman writes on his blog:

"I'll be back with the usual photoblogs and whatnot, but expect the following week to be chock full of RPG reportage from Tokyo, spine-tickling previews, and then get ready for the upcoming months worth of awesomeness that you cannot possibly prepare yourself for. It's going to be amazing."

So check back here this Tuesday to find out if they finally let the cat out of the bag.

Source: http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8762178&publicUserId=4549175

Milkman Meeting With FFXI Dev. Team

For those who don't know, an editor by the name of James Mielke aka "Milkman" at 1up.com is a huge fan of FFXI. So what does this mean? It means that someone with credibility with the FFXI dev. team can get some exclusive interviews and ask some hard hitting questions.

Recently on his FFXI specific blog (ffxi.1up.com), the Milkman asked the community for any questions dealing with FFXI as he will be interviewing them this June in Tokyo. Now Mielke has always gotten some good interviews and has recently been pushing the question of their future plans in his recent interviews with them. Now I don't think I'm going too much out on a limb when I think he'll be asking a few questions about the new MMO.

Stay Tuned.

Square Enix Ready to Show More?

RPGFan in a recent news article is reporting that Square Enix is close to finally revealing some specifics on their new MMORPG.

Fans of online games at least have something to look forward to. With Final Fantasy XI celebrating its sixth anniversary, Square Enix is apparently willing to finally unveil its next-gen MMO game soon.

The article quotes its source from a GameWatch article dealing with Square Enix financial news. A GameFaqs poster by the name of dgcool3783 emailed the writer for more information and received the following response:

In regard to your question: As I wrote in the story, the comment was made by Square Enix president Wada during the presentation of the company's financial results last month. This news bit about the new online game however was only one short (side) story within a very lengthy GameWatch article dealing mostly with the company's financial situation and Dragon Quest IX's release date. GameWatch did not run a story focusing exclusively on this news bit.

So although this does not tell us much, we can be hopeful that information will be revealed at E3 or TGS of this year.

Source: http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2008/1193.html

Fake Images of New MMORPG

Please note that these images are confirmed to be fake, and are simply being posted here to avoid confusion. These images were made for a April Fools joke by those at the FFXI section of Allakhazam.

Source: http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/sdetail.html?story=12898

Chronological Order of Information

The following post contains almost everything released so far dealing with the new MMORPG from Square Enix. Here is a quick summary of everything that is known so far:

• The game will use the same engine (Crystal Tools) as Final Fantasy XIII.
• Rapture is the current codename for the game.
• It is being developed by the same team that created Final Fantasy XI and all the expansion packs.
• It is a multi-platform title currently planned to be released on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
• The game will be a worldwide release (however it is unknown if their will be regional servers.)
• It has NOT been confirmed if this is set in the Final Fantasy universe.

A September 6, 2007 Gamasutra interview with lead designer Hiromichi Tanaka does a good job summing up the current status of the game:

Square Enix’s next MMO will be cross platform and cross region. “A lot has changed in the last two years,” he says, referencing the game’s first announcement at E3 2005. “Development is proceeding smoothly now, with the framework now beginning to take shape. Last year we went through a development reorganization, with the development of our own cross-platform middleware – the white engine [Crystal Tools]. This is the foundation for FFXIII and the new MMO. It’s safe to say that it won’t be much longer before I’m able to unveil even more secrets about what the future holds for Square Enix.”

The full interview can be found here: http://www.gamasutra.com/austingdc2007/index.php?id=15400

May 16, 2005

Square-enix first announces that they are developing a next generation MMORPG for the Xbox 360. They present a tech/concept video at Microsoft's Media Briefing during E3 2005. The video strongly resembles a Final Fantasy universe with key staples such as Airships and a character design similar to that of Final Fantasy XI.

Here is the video that was shown:

Note: Music is from Final Fantasy X.

Screens taken from the video:

Source: http://www.square-enix.com/na/news/2005/

March 11, 2006

At Final Fantasy XI Fan Festival 2006, the development team did confirm that they were indeed working on a Next Generation MMORPG. However, they did not reveal if the video released was the game or simply a tech video.

"During E3 2005 we announced that the FINAL FANTASY XI development team had begun work on a next generation MMORPG for the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista. We can't talk too much about the next generation MMORPG, but we're sure you'll find it very exciting."

Hiromichi Tanaka confirming that they are indeed working on a new MMORPG.

Source: http://www.ffxifestival.com/2006/devpanel.html

April 18, 2006

Hiromichi Tanaka, during an interview with Japanese website Impress Watch, again confirms that the Final Fantasy XI development team are working on a new MMORPG for both Windows Vista and PS3. He also added that they hope to make the game available worldwide.

Speaking with Impress Watch on the eve of the Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan launch in Japan, FFXI producer Hiromichi Tanaka stated, "As we work on Final Fantasy XI, we're currently working on a new MMORPG targeting Windows Vista and PS3." Square Enix is hoping to make the game a worldwide title, Tanaka added.

Source: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/702/702289p1.html


July 17, 2006

Japan's Nikki Net reported that Square-Enix was working on a sequel to Final Fantasy XI. They also reported that the title was in development for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Windows Vista.

Source: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/719/719204p1.html


July 18, 2006

Square-Enix quickly denies the Nikki Net report, claiming that they made no such official announcement of the MMORPG. They confirmed that they are working on a new MMORPG, but stressed that it is a completely new title and not a sequel to Final Fantasy XI.

Source: http://www.square-enix.com/jp/compan...e_060718en.pdf


February 5, 2007

Electronic Gaming Monthly (Issue 213) reported in their rumor section that the new Square-Enix MMORPG will be set in a previously establish Final Fantasy universe.

Square has another MMO Final Fantasy (à la FFXI) in the work for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Won't be set in Vana'diel, but rather a world from a previous FF. "Our fanboy hopes say FFVII, but our practical mind says FFXII."

Source: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/show...141331


November 27, 2007

Hiromichi Tanka once again confirmed that the FFXI team is still developing the MMORPG, but reveals that they have not decided if the game will be set in the Final Fantasy universe or if it is a completely new title.

"As you might already know, members from the current FFXI team are working on a next generation MMO, but it still hasn't been decided whether that's going to be a game in the FF series, a continuation, or a totally new game. We are working on it, but it hasn't been decided that far yet."

Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16371


February 18, 2008

During Game Developers Conference 2008, Square Enix reveals that their new MMORPG will be using the same engine that is currently being used for titles such as Final Fantasy XIII. Previously known as the White Engine, this new multi-platform engine is now known as Crystal Tools and expands throughout Xbox 360, Windows Vista, Playstation 3, and Wii. Square Enix also gave the first code name to this title, Rapture.

Source: http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20080225/gdc_cry.htm

Stay Tuned!

Hello!

Just started out this blog and I hope it will provide an accurate source for any updates on the new MMORPG square-enix is developing.

I plan to post everything the community knows so far in my future posts, and update it as soon as anything is released. Feel free to let me know if I have made an error in any of my posts or if you have any information. Thanks, and enjoy your stay.