Tag: Square Enix - Page 6
News Final Fantasy Creator Believes Latest Instalment Is Ultimate Entry in Franchise
Levelled up
Final Fantasy 16 attracted plenty of plaudits and critical acclaim, but series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi may have endorsed it with its most important yet, describing it as the “ultimate” entry in the franchise. The ex-Square Enix director – who left the company in 2003 – posted the comments on Twitter, which will come as music...
News Square Enix Bafflingly Backtracks on Final Fantasy 16 Sales, Blames 'Slow' PS5 Adoption
Publisher's "high expectations" not met
Is there a more baffling big publisher than Square Enix? Just last month, the Japanese company issued a statement saying that it considered sales of Final Fantasy 16 "extremely strong" after the PS5 exclusive had surpassed 3 million copies in under a week following its launch. Now, however, new Square Enix...
News Fans Vote Clive the Second Best Final Fantasy Protagonist
Guess the winner
Wow, people really like Clive Rosfield. The main character of the recently released Final Fantasy 16, the leather-clad hero seems to have really struck a chord with players, as he was voted the second best protagonist in Square Enix's mainline series. That's according to several thousand Final Fantasy fans, all of whom voted in our...
News Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters Could One Day Be Playable in Square Enix's PS5, PS4 MMO
Finally, a challenge
If you thought Square Enix's mega-MMO Final Fantasy XIV could be improved by Frankensteining the recently released Pixel Remasters into the Manderville Gold Saucer or something, you aren't alone. Naoki Yoshida, the producer of the popular game, wants the same thing. If you have the technical skills to make it happen, then...
News The Fantasy 6 Remake Talk Has Started Again
A Terra-ble idea?
Yoshinori Kitase, who worked on the original Final Fantasy 6 as a director, made headlines a couple of months back when he revealed that other Square Enix employees keep asking him about a potential remake of the classic RPG. At the time, Kitase admitted that remaking such an old title would be "difficult", but that hasn't stopped...
News PS5, PS4 Expansion Dawntrail Takes Final Fantasy 14 on Vacation Next Year
Summer holiday
The all-consuming full-time job, also known as Final Fantasy 14, will eat up more hours of your life next year, when it adds its fifth major expansion, named Dawntrail. Announced during a glitzy fan fest event earlier today, director Naoki Yoshida described it as “the very best summer vacation a hero could possibly have”. It’s...
News Final Fantasy 14's Free PS5, PS4 Trial Expands to Include Stormblood
Relinquish your life
Square Enix’s gigantic MMO smash hit Final Fantasy 14 will grow in 2024 with the release of its next major expansion Dawntrail, but for those eager to see what all the fuss is about, you may be excited to learn that the title’s gigantic free trial will grow yet again with the release of its 6.5 update, which is expected...
Poll Who's the Best Final Fantasy Protagonist?
There can only be one
Now that we've all had time to settle into a reality where Final Fantasy 16 exists, this is our chance to revisit a question that's reverberated around the Final Fantasy fandom for decades: just who is the series' best protagonist? Now, for the sake of this poll, we're going to streamline things and focus on mainline Final...
News Infinity Strash: Dragon's Quest Characters Detailed Along with 16 Minutes of Gameplay
Strash bash
The name seems to get longer every time we see it, but we don't begrudge Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventures of Dai a thing. Square Enix has published a bunch of new information concerning the combat styles of our core cast of characters. In addition, Japanese media has shared a total of 16 minutes of new gameplay (thanks,...
News Square Enix Happy with Final Fantasy 16 Sales, Considers Them 'Extremely Strong'
Pleased with PS5 attach rate
Square Enix has gone on record to say it's happy with the initial sales stats of PS5 exclusive Final Fantasy XVI, going so far as to consider them "extremely strong". In a statement given to IGN, the Japanese publisher goes on to compare the sales figures of Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 in relation to the PS5's...
News Final Fantasy 16 DLC Is Now an Option Being Considered by Square Enix
Yoshi-P more open to the idea
Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida has stated DLC is now something under consideration at Square Enix as the company looks to support its latest title after launch. Prior to last month's release, Yoshida described the experience as a "one-off game" that would only be built upon if "players around the world want to...
News Final Fantasy 9 Remake May Be Real, But Recent Leaks Aren't
Jeff Grubb clarifies
Spotted in an Nvidia leak all the way back in 2019, it seems Square Enix really is preparing a remake of PS1 classic Final Fantasy IX. Jeff Grubb of Giant Bomb backed the claim after receiving reassurance the project is still happening as of last month, bu
News Total Final Fantasy Franchise Sales at 180 Million
FF 16, Pixel remasters putting in work
Square Enix has revealed by way of a musical theatre show announcement that the Final Fantasy series has now sold over 180 million copies worldwide. The confirmation page reads (via Google Translate): "Since its first release in 1987, the legendary role-playing game "Final Fantasy" series boasts over 180...
Random Final Fantasy 16 Theme Song's Official Music Video Equal Parts Sombre, Melodramatic
As it should be
Final Fantasy XVI is currently making a home within millions of PS5s, even if sales appear to have slackened quite severely in recent days. One of the highlights of the game (we thought) was its soundtr
News Square Enix Plotting More Retro Revivals After Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Success
Nothing final about it
Final Fantasy fans, give yourselves a round of applause; Square Enix says it's "considering" remastering more titles from its expansive back catalogue following the success of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection released earlier in the year. Some interesting comments were made at the company's
News Japanese Final Fantasy 16 Sales Plummet by 90% in Second Week
Beaten by Master Detective Archives too
Japan really doesn't seem as hot on Final Fantasy titles anymore, as after the 16th mainline entry failed to hand the PS5 a chart-topping position, sales of the game have dropped considerably by 90 per cent. In its first week on the market, Final Fantasy XVI sold just over 336,000 physical copies. However, in...
News Final Fantasy 16 PS5 Update 1.03 Out Now, Get All the Patch Notes Here
Motion Blur toggle! New controller options! Camera sensitivity!
The first post-launch update for Final Fantasy XVI is available to download now on PS5, bringing the Square Enix title up to version number 1.000.003. The patch adds a couple of new features to the game like a motion blur toggle, another three controller layouts, and more extensive...
News Final Fantasy 16 Is the Seventh Best Final Fantasy Game According to Fans
Early ratings are very positive
Final Fantasy 16 is less than a couple of weeks old at the time of writing this article, but it already seems to be highly rated amongst fans of the franchise. Regular readers may already know that we have a Best Final Fantasy Games list here on the site, which ranks every PlayStation Final Fantasy title based on user...
News Over 56% of Final Fantasy 16 UK Launch Sales Were Digital, But the Charts Only Count Physical
Half the story
Final Fantasy 16 dropped off the top spot of the UK sales charts this week, but as we've been saying for years now, the charts themselves rarely tell the whole story of a game's commercial success. This is because digital sales are only becoming more and more prevalent, and, frustratingly, the publicly released charts are based...
News Front Mission 1st: Remake Remains True to Original in Tactical PS5, PS4 Gameplay
Wanzer way to go
Tactical turn-based reimagined classic Front Mission 1st: Remake is out now, and it looks to have retained the strategic stylings of its PS1 predecessor. We got a nostalgic look at gameplay in a new trailer, and it's making us want to tinker and tweak some mechs, just like in the bad old days. Developed by Forever Entertainment,...
Poll What Review Score Would You Give Final Fantasy 16?
Hot stuff?
Final Fantasy 16 has been available on PS5 for just over a week, and so, as always, we want to know what you think of the latest blockbuster release. While it undoubtedly has its flaws, the overall reception of the action RPG has been very positive online. High critic reviews and plenty of praise from players has resulted in one of the...
News Final Fantasy 16 Is Overheating and Crashing PS5 Consoles Completely
Beware graphics mode
Well, it looks like Sqaure Enix has got some work to do with Final Fantasy 16. The action RPG, which released just over a week ago at the time of writing, appears to have a pretty serious crashing issue. And when we say serious, we mean it's straight up overheating PS5 consoles and completely shutting them down. This is...
News Even with Final Fantasy 16, PS5 Can't Outsell Switch in Japan
Game sells 330,000+ copies
If you need any more evidence the Nintendo Switch has Japan on complete lock, then here it is: even with Final Fantasy XVI backing it, the PS5 couldn't outsell the hybrid system last week. Famitsu statistics reveal (via Gematsu) the PS5 — disc console and digital edition combined — sold 85,385 units. Meanwhile, the...
Random Final Fantasy 16 Actor Discovers Debauched Community's Thirsty Fan Fiction
Rule 34 strikes again
Perhaps just now becoming aware of that seemingly eternal adage of the Internet age, Final Fantasy XVI protagonist portrayer Ben Starr has apparently discovered the drawings and imagined extracurricular activities fans have been churning out of late. Now, we don't know exactly what Starr saw to elicit the response, but just...
News Microsoft Planned to Conquer Japan with Square Enix Buyout, Eye-Opening Documents Reveal
Final Fantasy a key component
Wow, this just never ends! In its ongoing attempts to sate the FTC — which is currently scrutinising Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard — the tech giant has been forced to disclose internal documents and emails, placing a spotlight on the company's behind-the-scenes planning. Just days ago,...
News Final Fantasy 16's Official Art Book Gets March 2024 Release Date
304 pages of cool pictures
Square Enix has revealed the release date for Final Fantasy 16's official art book, predictably titled 'The Art of Final Fantasy XVI'. It's hardcover, and it's got 304 pages featuring "hundreds of pieces of concept art and illustrations". The description also mentions sketches, which are always intriguing if you're...
News PS5 Exclusive Final Fantasy 16 Hits a Slightly Skewed 3 Million Sales at Launch
Misses out on series record
Update: Square Enix has officially confirmed the early reports from Japan, stating that Final Fantasy 16 has surpassed 3 million units through shipments and digital sales. Original Story: Final Fantasy 16 has already topped 3 million sales, early reports from Japan indicate (as per Gamer.ne.jp). It's not a truly...
News Sony Spends a Fortune Getting an Assortment of Sports Stars to Explain Final Fantasy 16
George Kittle! Alessia Russo! Xavier Woods!
The most amusing thing about this Final Fantasy 16 trailer, aside from the random assortment of sports stars, is how it attempts to appeal to both Europeans and Americans simultaneously. It means there are some people you’ll recognise and others you probably won’t – it all largely depends on which...
Poll Are You Playing Final Fantasy 16?
Live with Clive
The day is finally upon us, Final Fantasy fans (and everyone else who's been looking forward to this rather drastic departure for the series). Final Fantasy 16 is out right now on PS5 exclusively, and it's fair to say that the hype for this one has been immense. Fortunately, the game itself is fantastic, as noted in our Final...
News Full Final Fantasy 16 Takeover on PS Store for PS5 Launch
The big day
Sony continues to throw all of its marketing muscle behind the newly released Final Fantasy 16, as the PS Store has been reskinned to reflect the title’s arrival today. In addition to some eye-popping artwork, which takes up the entire upper-half of the PS5’s store, there are also appropriate links to the product pages for both the...
News Square Enix Devs Pester Director Yoshinori Kitase About Remaking Final Fantasy 6 Constantly
Good
Final Fantasy seems to be having something of a resurgence, if you haven't noticed. It's not like the decades-old RPG series ever went away, or anything, but Square Enix seems focused and determined of late, done with distracting frivolities. Final Fantasy XVI, the next mainline entry and a triumphant return to form, is out today, and
News Star Ocean The Second Story R Adopts a Bold Visual Style on PS5, PS4
Stunning 2.5D remake is a delight
Star Ocean The Second Story R, the previously leaked remake of PS1’s legendary 1998 JRPG, has been officially announced – and it’s coming to PS5 and PS4. This one adopts an impressively bold artstyle, building on the legacy of the original by retaining its sprite character models but overhauling the...
Review Final Fantasy 16 (PS5) - Final Fantasy's Triumphant Return to the Top
Flames of Rebirth
Final Fantasy 16 is the furthest the mainline series has ever strayed from its traditional RPG roots. It's more of an action game with RPG elements bolted on than it is an RPG with action combat, but at the same time, it boasts all of the ingredients that we associate with the greatest Final Fantasy titles. Its character-driven...
News First Final Fantasy 16 Review Awards a Near-Perfect Score
Famitsu has its say
The first PS5 review score for Final Fantasy XVI has been published online, by way of Japanese magazine Famitsu. The outlet awarded the Square Enix title a 39/40, with three reviewers handing the RPG a 10 and a fourth giving it a 9. More verdicts are expected to hit the Internet in the lead-up to tomorrow's launch. Reported by...
Random Talented Pixel Artist Recreates Chrono Trigger's Leene Square in Glorious HD-2D
Dare to dream
Chrono Trigger remains perched upon a JRPG pedestal all these years later, virtually unrivalled in terms of reverence. In a reality in which we already got a Final Fantasy VII Remake, there really is nothing else in that realm more deserving of the remake treatment. Until that happy day finally comes, we can at least better imagine...
News Final Fantasy 16 PS5 Pre-Load Available Now
Begin the big download
If you have pre-ordered a digital copy of Final Fantasy XVI via the PS Store, you should now be able to pre-load the PS5 title ahead of launch on 22nd June 2023. It's a big 90.131GB download, so you'll save tons of time by taking advantage of the option. The pre-load also includes the small 300MB day one patch, so you needn't...
News Final Fantasy 16's PS5 Marketing Hype Peaks with Official Exhibition at Tower of London
Real-life swordsmith spent months crafting replica
No expense has been spared for Final Fantasy 16’s all-encompassing marketing campaign, and with the PS5 console exclusive launching later this week, publisher Square Enix’s efforts have peaked. The Japanese juggernaut has partnered with the UK’s Royal Armouries – a world-famous museum that...
News Devil May Cry Designer Crafts Magnum Opus with Final Fantasy 16
Ryota Suzuki says it's his "personal masterpiece"
Ryota Suzuki is the battle director on Final Fantasy XVI, but before signing up with Square Enix, he spent more than two decades working on some seriously impressive action games for Capcom, like Devil May Cry 5, Dragon's Dogma, and Monster Hunter: World. Suzuki says that the next mainline entry...
News Final Fantasy 16's PS5 File Size Pegged At 90.1GB
Make space
Pre-loading for Final Fantasy 16 will begin on 20th June, and now we have word of the release’s file size. As shared on Twitter by PlayStation Game Size – a reliable account which scrapes Sony’s servers for information on upcoming games and patches – the hotly anticipated console exclusive action RPG will weigh in at 90.18GB in...
News Final Fantasy 16's Painterly Japanese Commercial Is Epic
Packing a punch
The Japanese commercial for Final Fantasy 16 goes hard – alarmingly so. This extended television spot features several renaissance (?) style paintings, which are animated in a kind of stop-motion style to bring them to life. While dramatic music plays in the background, a voiceover speaks in Japanese, presumably spouting deeply...
News Just Like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Final Fantasy 16 Was Going to Ship on Two PS5 Discs
And it only changed at the last minute
Square Enix’s penchant for high quality, pre-rendered 4K cinematics means its games can seriously bloat in size. It was confirmed recently that next year’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will ship on two PS5 Blu-ray discs, and the same was almost true of Final Fantasy 16 – in fact, the developer was only able to...
News So, Final Fantasy 16 Will Have a Day One Patch on PS5 After All
Of course it will
After making a big song and dance about the fact that Final Fantasy 16 won’t have a day one patch – an admittedly uncommon scenario in 2023 – publisher Square Enix has since admitted there will actually be an update ahead of release. The patch, which will weigh in at around 300MB, will fix a minor progression issue, a few...
News Final Fantasy 16 Dev Pleads for Cooperation As PS5 Game Leaks
"We're in the process of a thorough investigation"
As we reported earlier in the week, Final Fantasy 16 copies have found their way into the hands of consumers ahead of next week’s release, and unfortunately spoilers are starting to circulate all over the web. This has prompted Square Enix to release a statement on the game’s official social...
News Whoopsie! Square Enix Just Leaked Another Star Ocean Remaster
Sieve Enix
The existence of a Star Ocean: The Second Story remake, called Star Ocean: The Second Story R, has been leaked, not by a data miner or a leak-happy insider but instead by Square Enix's own Support Centre website. Since removed, the leaked logos (with a Japanese variant) were caught by Gematsu
News Final Fantasy 16 Has Leaked One Week Early, and We've Already Seen Spoilers Online
Not like this
Final Fantasy XVI is still a week away from its release (at the time of writing this article), but some physical copies of the game appear to have gone public ahead of launch. Reports started spreading across social media earlier today (as covered by VGC), and we can confirm that the leaked images seem legitimate. Unfortunately, we've...
News Final Fantasy 16's New Trailer Is Here to Remind You It's a PS5 Exclusive for a Reason
Flagship new-gen features highlighted
Final Fantasy 16 has had no shortage of trailers in the lead up to its release, but this latest one exists to remind you the game is a PS5 console exclusive for a reason. Sony has obviously furnished publisher Square Enix with lots of cash, but that’s also resulted in a title that’s designed to take...
News Final Fantasy 16's Demo Has Been a Huge Hit With PS5 Players
Clive out of Clive
The Final Fantasy XVI demo really seems to have struck a chord with those who have played it. Offering up over two hours of gameplay through the title's prologue chapter — and topping things off with a special combat-based mode — the demo feedback we've seen has been incredibly positive overall. A quick Google search reveals...
News No, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Is Definitely Not Releasing on PS4
Rebirth, but current-gen only
This might not be a huge surprise to pundits paying attention, but the eagerly anticipated PS5 exclusive Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will not be coming to PS4, Square Enix has confirmed. Again. But let's back up for a moment. Last week, following the announcement that Rebirth would actually be coming out in early 2024,...
Poll What Do You Think of the Final Fantasy 16 PS5 Demo?
Hot stuff?
It's finally time for Final Fantasy XVI... Well, the playable demo, at least. Out right now on PS5, the demo features a sizeable chunk of the game's opening act, as well as a battle-based mode that showcases the abilities that you unlock later on in Clive's adventure. it's a robust offering, giving players a decent idea of the upcoming...
One of us! One of us!
If you were lucky enough to experience even a single blissful summer playing Final Fantasy before the weight of the world began to bear down on you inexorably, you'd know it can be a beautiful, all-consuming thing. You aren't alone either; Square Enix's freshly minted top executive, Takashi Kiryu, would also regularly no-life...
