Final Fantasy 14 Mobile officially revealed
UPDATE: Will be free-to-play, without gacha.
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UPDATE 1pm UK: Final Fantasy 14 Mobile will be free-to-play and won't include gacha mechanics.
This news was confirmed by Japanese publication Famitsu in an extensive article. How exactly the game will be monetised remains unclear, though presumably it will be through costumes and mounts in the game's online store.
This differs from other Square Enix mobile games like Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis and the recently ended Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius that heavily include gacha mechanics.
Further, the game will have controls optimised for mobile devices, likely including a virtual joystick.
ORIGINAL 8am UK: A mobile version of Final Fantasy 14 has officially been revealed.
The in-development game was announced by Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida, with Tencent-owned Lightspeed Studio behind development. The studio previously developed PUBG Mobile.
"This is our latest MMORPG title specifically tailored for the mobile platform," said Yoshida in a video announcing the project. "Despite these adjustments Lightspeed Studios is working with tremendous enthusiasm and dedication to faithfully recreate the story, duties, battle content and other aspects of the original game."
He continued: "I hope both current FF14 players and those who are interested in exploring its story will look forward to what's coming next."
The video provides a first look at gameplay, which shows a fully-realised version of Eorzea from the cities of Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa, to the Gold Saucer and even a battle against the Primal Titan.
As noted on the game's website, nine jobs will be available at launch out of the full game's 22 battle jobs. While these aren't listed, imagery suggests the likes of Black Mage, Warrior, Dragoon, Bard, and White Mage will all be playable.
What's more, all 11 crafting and gathering jobs will be included, as well as side activities like Triple Triad, chocobo racing, and home customisation.
Final Fantasy 14 has already received over 30 million registered players and has proven a huge success for Square Enix. It's no wonder a mobile version is in development to boost that further.
This mobile version, along with the Tencent collaboration, was rumoured back in July this year. A month later, it was approved in China.
While a release date is unknown, a demo through multiple play tests will soon be available in China, with a global launch planned afterwards. Fans can pre-register now.
The expansion to mobile is part of Square Enix's "aggressive" push to multiplatform releases to "diversify earnings opportunities".
For current players of Final Fantasy 14, the latest Patch 7.1 was released earlier this month, bringing the Final Fantasy 11 themed raid series as well as new story content.