Square Enix Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Square Enix has announced a livestream to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 7, which will be packed with “lots of information” regarding an unveiling.Announced today (June 10), Square Enix invited fans to “join us next week for around 10 minutes to celebrate 25 years of Final Fantasy 7.”The stream will take place on June 16 at 11PM BST / 3PM PT / 6PM ET and will be available to watch on Square Enix’s official YouTube and Twitch channels.Join us next week for around 10 minutes to celebrate 25 years of @FinalFantasy VII: https://t.co/y074ldZMhgCo-stream the broadcast and share your reactions with #FFVII25th. Please be excited.

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda shared that the money raised by selling many of its western properties last year will be used to “foster solid IP” rather than invest in NFTs and blockchain technology.Back in May, Square Enix announced a deal with Embracer Group to sell some of the company’s biggest western titles, including Tomb Raider, Deux Ex, and Thief. Several studios – including Crystal Dynamics – were also included in the sale.At the time the company shared that the sales would help invest in “blockchain, AI, and the cloud“, however, Square Enix has seemingly decided against this.In a financial results briefing, Matsuda shared that “rather than using the proceeds from the divestiture in new investment domains such as NFT and blockchain, we intend to use them primarily to fund our efforts to foster solid IP and to enhance our development capabilities in our core digital entertainment segment.”Matsuda added that Square Enix will raise funds for “new investment domains” separately from the company’s “core business” to do so, and revealed that “the Just Cause franchise will remain our IP, and we are at work developing a new title in the franchise.”Over the last year, Matsuda has been a vocal supporter of blockchain technology, despite criticism from fans.

Final Fantasy 14, has apologised for buffs made to the black mage class in a recent update.Following the introduction of new PvP area Crystalline Conflict, Square Enix released the Patch 6.11a, which included an assortment of balance adjustments.However, the update gave the black mage class some serious buffs leading to a bunch of memes, especially when it was revealed that class was Yoshida’s go to.“What should have been minor changes were released as major changes, which ultimately resulted in an overpowered black mage,” Yoshida wrote in a blog post. “By adding a heavy effect, giving Paradox multiple charges, and otherwise decreasing casting times, the black mage was granted an undeniable advantage,” which they intend to revert in a future patch released on June 7.“I would like to emphasise that the black mage is experiencing no preferential treatment by being specially mentioned here; we evaluate action balance for all jobs with a similarly scrutinising gaze,” he continued.

Crystal Dynamics will still work on the Perfect Dark reboot with The Initiative following news that the former studio will be acquired by Embracer Group.Earlier today (May 2) it was announced that Square Enix has decided to sell much of its western development arm for around £240million ($300million USD), with that including Tomb Raider and Marvel’s Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics.Since then, Xbox-owned studio The Initiative has quote tweeted Crystal Dynamics statement concerning the acquisition, confirming that the studio is still working on the upcoming Perfect Dark game.“We’re excited to see Crystal Dynamics take these next steps with their studio. Our teams have made great progress in building Perfect Dark together as co-development partners, and we will be continuing this work with them in their next chapter.”The deal is also set to include Square Enix Montréal, Eidos-Montréal and the Thief and Legacy Of Kain franchises.The upcoming Perfect Dark game appears to be undergoing development troubles, as director Dan Neuburger left the studio in February and “fast and furious” losses were reported to be taking place there as well.This news means that at present, Crystal Dynamics is supporting Marvel’s Avengers, co-developing Perfect Dark and in the early stages of a new Tomb Raider title.As confirmed in April, the next Tomb Raider game will run on Unreal Engine 5 as Crystal Dynamics wants to “push the envelope of fidelity”.“This new engine translates into next-level storytelling and gameplay experiences,” said franchise general manager Dallas Dickinson.

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida has implemented a new list of rules to combat what he calls “uncooperative behaviour”.Following the launch of Final Fantasy 14’s new 5v5 player versus player (PvP) mode, Crystalline Conflict, Yoshida has reported an “unprecedented number of reports concerning uncooperative/lethargic or taunting behaviour during matches”.In a new blog post, he explained how “all PvP content, including Crystalline Conflict, is intended to be a battle/contest of skill between players. Participants must bring their best to the fight, and for this reason uncooperative or lethargic behaviour is prohibited.

Final Fantasy 14, has provided clarification on the game’s ongoing housing lottery bug.With the arrival of patch 6.1, Final Fantasy 14 introduced the new Ishgardian residential district, the Empyreum, as well as a new feature that would allow players to join a lottery system in order to obtain a house.However, on April 16, there were reports from players who were met with messages saying that there were zero winners after the lottery countdown, which led Yoshida to release a statement apologising for the bugged system (on April 16).The problem has been ongoing for a couple of days since, but today (April 18) Yoshida released a new statement via the Final Fantasy 14 Lodestone, which provided further clarification and the next steps the team will be taking.Yoshida began by apologising for his earlier statement which led to some confusion among players, adding that he should have said that “there are many patterns involved for the lottery entry conditions” as opposed to his initial statement which said that “there are many patterns involved for the lottery conditions.”“Although the development team is continuing to put their full effort into investigating and verifying the housing lottery issue, we have yet to identify the root cause, and it appears we will require additional time to do so,” he explained.The director went on to say that there are three primary issues occurring with the lottery system.

Live A Live remake was only deemed possible thanks to the success of fellow HD-2D title Octopath Traveler.In an interview with Famitsu (translated by Nintendo Everything), Takashi Tokita – director of the 1994 Japanese RPG Live A Live and its upcoming remake –  talked about how the project came to be.“I’ve pushed internally for a remake or sequel a number of times, but the circumstances never quite worked and the idea was abandoned,” said Tokita. “One of the big reasons we were able to create the remake was because we joined up with Mr.

Square Enix has confirmed that Kingdom Hearts 4 is on the way, with a reveal trailer shown off as part of the series’ 20th anniversary.Announced today (April 10), the reveal trailer was published on Square Enix’s YouTube channel as part of other announcements around the series’ anniversary.No release date or launch platforms have been confirmed for Kingdom Hearts 4 as of publication, although the trailer can be watched below.The voiceover in the trailer begins by saying: “If this isn’t the ending you desired – if it brings you despair – then leave this world for another.”The Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer itself features a modern city setting called Quadratum, where it’s revealed that Sora has been for seven days. Sora then launches into combat with a giant Heartless enemy, with a hooded member of Organisation XIII saying: “If you do leave this world behind, don’t expect to return to the one from which you came.”The trailer then ends with a short clip of Donald and Goofy – who accompanied Sora through most of the Kingdom Hearts games – searching for Sora before an unseen figure ambushes them.

Unreal Engine 5 presentation from Epic Games, developer Crystal Dynamics announced it was starting work on the next instalment of the Tomb Raider series.Franchise general manager for Tomb Raider, Dallas Dickinson, explained that the team is proud to be a part of the launch of Unreal Engine 5, saying:“This new engine translates into next-level storytelling and gameplay experiences, and that’s why we’re thrilled to announce today that we’ve just started development of our next Tomb Raider game, powered by Unreal Engine 5.”“Our goal is to push the envelope of fidelity and to deliver the high-quality cinematic action-adventure experience that fans deserve from both Crystal Dynamics and the Tomb Raider franchise. We can’t wait to take this journey together.”The developer was behind the most recent Marvel’s Avengers title, which got a pretty big patch at the end of March.

Square Enix has corrected a statement about Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition, confirming the upcoming remaster will only have the refined soundtrack.The announcement blog post for the game, which was published on February 9, has been updated to reflect the inaccurate information. A statement at the top of the article reads:“This article originally incorrectly stated that users can switch between the original and remastered soundtracks.

Square Enix has confirmed that the next Letter From The Producer live event for Final Fantasy 14 will take place in just over a week, and teased what fans can expect from the presentation.The Letter From The Producer event will be broadcast on April 1, at 12PM, however Square Enix has noted that the starting time may change.April’s Letter From The Producer can be watched via the official Final Fantasy 14 YouTube, Twitch, or Niconico channels. On April 1, you can watch the stream through the embedded video below.In the past, the livestream has involved Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki Yoshida outlining what’s next for the MMO, and the next stream looks to be no different.Square Enix has shared that the upcoming stream will cover “the latest information on what’s to come in Patch 6.1 – Newfound Adventure”.Besides Patch 6.1, the show will also cover some “miscellaneous updates” that are coming to Final Fantasy 14.Though details on what the stream will include are fairly vague, Square Enix has already shared some of what fans can expect from Patch 6.1.Patch 6.1 is set to launch in mid-April and will include more main scenario quests, sidequests, and a new dungeon.

Square Enix has acknowledged issues raised by players of Chocobo GP, and confirmed that it will investigate the problems and take action.After the racing game was released earlier this month, players shared their disappointment with the game’s ongoing issues with bugs, while some have shared their concerns about the game’s reliance on in-game microtransactions (via Eurogamer).Square Enix has now addressed players’ issues with Chocobo GP in an official statement on Twitter, which roughly translates to, “Thank you for playing Chocobo Grand Prix. We are currently receiving many inquiries, and we would like to inform you about the status of various problems and future updates.”“We are investigating the cause of each problem and taking corrective action.”Hironori Okayama, the producer on Chocobo GP, also said “We apologise for the inconvenience caused to the players due to problems with the battle function and lack of advance notice.

Babylon’s Fall, a cooperative action RPG from Square Enix, has peaked at just over a thousand concurrent PC players in the game’s first 24 hours.The multiplayer hack and slash game went live on Steam at 17:00 GMT yesterday (March 3) and in the following 22 hours, only 1,179 people played the title at the same time, according to SteamDB.For comparison, Square Enix employees around 5,500 people. Marvel’s Avengers (another live game published by the studio) saw around 28,000 concurrent players at launch and was subsequently branded a failure.Babylon’s Fall was first announced at E3 2018 with a planned release date of 2019.

Final Fantasy 14 fan has invented a controller that lets him play as an Archer in the MMO, using a modified toy bow and arrow.Taking to Twitter (via PCGamesN), Super Louis 64 has demonstrated how he has created a way to control his Archer character in Final Fantasy 14 using a modified toy bow and arrow set.“The idea is really simple: taking the arrow off the quiver tells the board what ability you are going to use. The board does math to determine if you shot the arrow and once you do it tells [Final Fantasy 14] “hey they fired [this] ability”,” explained Louis.Louis has shared a video explaining the process – and end result – on YouTube, which you can watch below:The controller setup worked by using Arduino with “touch sensors and a gyroscope,” and Louis added that he was able to detect the force of the arrow being fired with some extra code.As you’d likely be able to guess, using a real-world bow and arrow setup wasn’t the most practical way to play.

Final Fantasy 14, has revealed the in-progress graphical update for the MMO.During the latest Letter from the Producer Livestream (February 19), Yoshida and his team announced that Final Fantasy 14 will be getting its first graphical update alongside patch 7.0.Although it’s not arriving any time soon, the team shared the first images of the update which is currently in development and in the first month of testing, comparing the current graphics of the MMO to what players can expect in 7.0.Below you can see that the skin and hair texture’s, as well as lighting, eyes and other facial features, have been enhanced. Each character race will get these high-res updates with shaders.According to the director, the team wanted to address the “overall picture” of MMO by improving the graphics, but not changing the game’s aesthetic.

Super Mario RPG has said that if he could, he would like a sequel to be his final game.Speaking to MinnMax, with transcriptions from NintendoLife, Super Mario RPG director Chihiro Fujioka spoke about the development of the Square Enix produced JRPG, and also noted that he would like to make a follow-up to the game. “Yeah, I would absolutely love to make one,” Fujioka responded when asked if he wanted to work on a Mario RPG again.

PlatinumGames has announced that its cooperative action RPG Babylon’s Fall will be getting a playable demo later this month.Releasing on February 25, the PS4 and PS5 demo will allow players to try the game out in four-player co-op, one week ahead of the game’s official release date – March 3.According to GamesTalk (translated by VGC), although the playable demo will only be available on PlayStation consoles, a Steam trial is expected in “late March”.Today (February 14), Square Enix also announced that Babylon’s Fall would also be getting large-scale updates called “seasons” every three months.The first season, named The Eternal Ziggurat, will release the same day as the demo and run until May 31. The season one premium battle pass will be available for free to celebrate the launch.“No powerful equipment will be made available as part of additional purchases,” the developer added.

Nintendo Direct of 2022 has been and gone. Yesterday (February 9), Nintendo fans were treated to around 40 minutes of new trailers, announcements and news for the Nintendo Switch platform.

Final Fantasy 14 is cracking down on real money trading in-game, with over 900 accounts already terminated.In a new Lodestone blog post, Square Enix has confirmed it has started banning Final Fantasy 14 accounts owned by players who are trading or advertising the sale of real money in the MMO.“Real money trading (RMT) and other illicit activities upset the balance of the game and, as such, are prohibited under the Terms of Service,” the post reads.Square Enix stated that a number of players that were engaging in these illicit activities have therefore been banned, with 858 accounts terminated for participation in RMT and prohibited activities, and 81 terminated for RMT advertising between January 20 and January 26.The developer also requested that any players who discover these exploits should, “under no circumstances, take advantage of or disseminate such information.” Square Enix asks players to file a reported instead by using the in-game command: [System Menu] -> [Support Desk] -> [Contact Us] -> [Report Cheating]. Players can also be reported by right-clicking the character’s name in the chat log to report for RMT activity.“We will continue to take stringent disciplinary action against any accounts involved in RMT/prohibited activities.

Square Enix has confirmed that the next Final Fantasy 14 Letter from the Producer will take a look at the next 10 years of the MMO.Announcing in a new Lodestone blog post, the publisher revealed that the game’s director and producer Naoki Yoshida will be sharing information on what’s in store for the future of Final Fantasy 14.Yoshida will also be answering questions related to the recently released Endwalker expansion during the second half of the broadcast, meaning players can now submit their questions now on the game’s official forum.The next Letter from the Producer Live will take place on February 19 at 2 AM GMT (February 18 at 6 PM PST), and will be streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and Niconico Live.The next Letter from the Producer LIVE is on its way!

Final Fantasy 7 Remake part two is set to be revealed sometime this year.During the Final Fantasy 7 25th anniversary event held in Japan today (January 31), the game’s original director Yoshinori Kitase stated that he was going to reveal the first details about Remake part two during the event (thanks, VGC).“We are hard at work on Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, so please look forward to that. In addition, with regards to the long-awaited Final Fantasy 7 Remake [part two]… there will be more information… this year if we can,”  Kitase said, in a translation provided to VGC by PushDustIn.Additionally, Kitase also confirmed that the game will be revealed this year, saying, “Well yeah.

Square Enix has announced that the long-awaited Oceania data Center has officially launched in Final Fantasy 14.Releasing alongside patch 6.08, the Oceania data Center is to support a smoother play experience for all in the Oceania region and marks the first in a plan to expand the global server capacity, as well as combat congestion. The Data Center will be accessible for new character creation, with Home World Transfers being permitted from January 26.Five Worlds will be available at this time, with all Worlds being designated as “New Worlds”, meaning players who transfer to or create new characters on them will receive special bonuses, including:To celebrate the release of the new Data Center, the developer has released a new map of Australia and New Zealand in the style of the in-game world map.

Final Fantasy 7’s Tifa Lockhart having sex interupted an Italian government meeting earlier this week.On Monday (January 17), the Italian senate hosted a Zoom meeting to discuss data transparency in political decision making, which was broadcast live on Facebook. According to Italian wire service ANSA, all was well for the first thirty minutes but when it came time to introduce Giorgio Parisi, one of last year’s Nobel Prize winners in physics, someone hijacked the meeting by sharing their screen while playing the unofficial Final Fantasy 7 porn.To begin with, Five Star Movement Senator, Maria Laura Mantovani continues speaking over the video, seemingly unaware of what’s happening.

PC port of Final Fantasy 7 Remake may have only arrived four days ago – launching December 16 – but the modding community has already had plenty of fun tweaking the game.Square Enix’s glossy reimagining of the beloved 1997 RPG launched on PS4 in April 2020, before getting a new generation upgrade for PS5 – and a brand new chapter focusing on fan-favourite character Yuffie Kisaragi, a teenaged ninja – in June 2021.

Square Enix has announced upcoming changes to Final Fantasy 14 following the heavy queue congestion since Endwalker’s launch, and this includes some sale suspension and additional game time. This news on compensation for congestion comes from an official Lodestone post penned by game director Naoki Yoshida, who apologised for the congestion and began outlining upcoming patches and changes.A temporary suspension of game sales and certain registrations is taking place to reduce congestion, as

Epic Games Store, the minimum and recommended specs to play Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade have been released.In a tweet, the official Final Fantasy 7 Remake Twitter account revealed all.The minimum specifications required are an Intel Core i5-3330 or AMD FX-8350 processor, 8GB of RAM and 100GB of storage.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade has received a release date for PC, and fans won’t have long to wait before getting their hands on it.Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will arrive on the Epic Games Store on December 16.Square Enix announced the release date during The Game Awards and shared a new trailer specifically for PC, which you can watch below.“Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is a visually enhanced edition of the critically acclaimed and award winning game, featuring a brand-new

Square Enix has released a new trailer for Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker, which features a song by Sia, dedicated to the game.The new trailer features Australian singer Sia performing Fly Me To The Moon. The song is dedicated to Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker and features beautiful cutscenes from the game.

Life Is Strange: True Colors is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch on December 7, Square Enix has announced.The Nintendo Switch version was originally scheduled to be released in September alongside the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC versions of the game. Now, it will arrive digitally on December 7 via the Nintendo eShop with a physical release planned for February 25 2022.