FFXIV on Vita, Xbox 360 under discussion

Final Fantasy XIV Online could eventually see a release on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation Vita, developer Square Enix has revealed.

Speaking in a lengthy interview with RPG Site, producer/director Naoki Yoshida explained that, though the PlayStation 3 version is currently its first priority, Square was still in talks with Microsoft about bringing the game to its hardware.

"Of course, because the game is developed on the PC, moving it to the Xbox 360 platform wouldn't be that difficult, but as we said before, the thing we have to get done first is getting that PS3 version done. Once that's done, we can take the next step from there," he said.

"We are continuing our talks with Microsoft, but then you think, maybe next year Microsoft might be announcing their next hardware, and so our decision is do we wait for that next hardware? So we're going to wait and see what's happening after we delivered what we've promised."

Yoshida added that the PlayStation Vita was also in its plans, as well as smartphone integration.

"Yes, currently this is all post-2.0, but because we're doing a reconstruction of our server system, in those plans, we're going to make sure that the servers can be accessed by outside devices such as smart phones," he explained.

"Not just the Vita, but also smart phones, so that kind of access will be allowed. What that will open the door to is things like applications that people can used to check their inventory, or check the market and purchase things from the auctions. Those are the things we are laying for in our server foundation, so we can be ready to implement those after 2.0.

"For example, beyond that, maybe an application that lets you raise your chocobo, and then transfer it back into the game."

Final Fantasy XIV has had a troubled first year online, with various issues surrounding the PC release leading Square to make the decision to waive subscription fees and delay the PlayStation 3 release until 2013.

Elsewhere in the interview, Yoshida thanked existing players for their patience and insisted things should soon start to look up.

"We recently made the announcement of the road map to 2.0, but it wasn't necessarily for new players. This is more for the players that we have now, to basically show them that there is a bright future on the horizon, that we've made the changes, and that if you continue to play, you'll be able to experience all of this great content over the next year leading up to 2.0.

"We appreciate your continued patronage, but also that you continue to support and play our game."