Never Forget San d'Oria: Announcing The Vana'Diel Project

hen I saw the post come up on Face Book, my heart stopped. "We'll be holding a special press conference - plans for the future of FFXI" My first adventures in Vana'diel happened way back in 2007 and while it has been years since I've traversed it's leafy Cities and sparse deserts the game holds a special spot in my heart. I instantly began to think that the worst was coming. An end to a game that has remained strong, even with it's prettier, more attractive, younger sister getting her first expansion.

Thankfully, for the most part, this wasn't the case.

Titled the Vana'Diel Project, Square has several exciting (things) planned for Final Fantasy XI.

First is Rhapsodies of Vana'Diel, the beginning of Final Fantasy XI's final main story. Part one is slated to arrive this May with parts two and three coming in August and November and is designed to tie the last 14 years of Vana'Diels story together. Alongside this will be the Goddess's Gala, a series of previous campaigns that have graced Final Fantasy XI, which can be enjoyed by both those currently playing and anyone who chooses to return to Square-Enix's first MMO virtual realm.

To help add to this experience, Square-Enix is also launching a Native app project which lets players take Vana'Diel with them anywhere they want via mobile devices.

Teaming up with Nexcon Co. Ltd to bring players this experience, battles will be optimized for the touch screen and will include further improvements to the standard Final Fantasy XI fare such as the job system and skill chains. Partying and solo activities will also be improved, giving players more control over their play styles to find what suits them best.

The one thing that really caught my interest from the announcement was Final Fantasy Grandmasters, An Online RPG for Smart phones allowing players to get lost in Vana'Diel when lying in bed after a long day of questing in Eorzea. Players can combine jobs and equipment to design their characters while strengthening and powering them up. Players will also be able to chat and communicate, join real-time co-op battles and, as with any online game, make tons of enemies... I mean “friends!”

Unfortunately, at this point of time, the game is only scheduled for release in Japan but hopefully Square will not forget about its loyal fan base and bring it stateside as well.

So was there any disappointing news with in this announcement? I suppose it depends on what your feelings are towards the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, as Square will be terminating service to Final Fantasy XI for both systems in March of 2016. Square Enix believes that focusing on their Windows players is the best route to take at this time, though with the PlayStation 2 being two generations old and support of the Xbox 360 bleeding away in favor of Xbox One, it may, in fact, be a good thing.

Last of all, as much as people have begged and pleaded, it doesn't appear that the game intends to go Free-to-Play anytime soon. Perhaps one day though.

I'd like to think that these changes are promising, but with the loss of the Xbox360 and PlayStation 2, I wonder if players have yet made the switch already or if they will make the switch at all. Or, will the small community that still exists in Final Fantasy XI dwindle even further? For now I'll sit on the sidelines in Eorzea and see exactly how things play out. It's going to be an interesting Chocobo ride from here on out for Vana'Diel...