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omega2K4 · 06-09-2005, 10:21 PM

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/623/623561p1.html

Quote:

Final Fantasy XI Team Works on New Project
New title to be next generation massively multiplayer Online RPG.
by IGN Staff

June 8, 2005 - In an interview published in the latest issue of Famitsu, Final Fantasy XI producer Hiromichi Tanaka makes mention of some of the projects on which his staff is currently working, including new Final Fantasy XI properties and a brand new next generation massively multiplayer Online RPG.

Tanaka does not commit to the identity of the next generation title, stating that it may be a successor to FFXI, or it may be a completely separate property. He does admit that the mysterious demo clip shown at Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 press conference was an early look at the game, which is currently in the "research" stage of development.

As for the title's platform, Tanaka is again a bit too shy to talk. He doesn't specifically state that the game is coming to the Xbox 360. He does, however, state that the PlayStation 3 will probably need a hard disk in order to see Final Fantasy XI-style games, stating he was surprised to hear that Sony is considering not including a hard disk with the system.

Regarding the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XI, Tanaka reveals that the title will be close to the Windows version of the game in terms of quality, which means it will be far superior to the PS2 version. The team is still working on the title, but they're hoping to improve viewing distance many times beyond that of PC version. Tanaka feels that once people have played the game in high definition wide screen format, they won't be able to go back.

As mentioned previously here at IGN Xbox, Square Enix will hold a beta test for Final Fantasy XI at the Xbox 360's launch later this year (no word yet on if this beta test will be Japan-only or if it will also take place in America). The beta test will make use of a special server separate from the other versions of the game. The purpose of the beta test, Tanaka reveals, is to see how Xbox Live handles connecting to Play Online, which is something that's being done for the first time with Microsoft's closed Online system.

There's more in store for Final Fantasy XI following the release of the Xbox 360 version. In addition to periodic updates for all versions of the game, the FFXI team is currently working a full-fledged expansion pack that should extend the life of the product.

So that bit of video that Square-Enix showed at E3 was a new MMORPG, not FFXI. Not that I care about Square-Enix or FF games, but its good to see that MS is getting some good Japanese support this round.