Amid rumors that layoffs had occurred at Square-Enix’s Los Angeles office and how they might impact current MMO games, SE’s Senior Director of Public Relations, Riley Brennan, confirmed yesterday that layoffs did occur, but that customers will not see any negative impact. Brennan emphasized that the decision to lay off some unknown number of employees “will not have any impact on the operations of MMO titles,” and that the upcoming launch of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will not be affected. It’s currently unknown what specific departments lost employees, but Brennan’s assurances seemed to apply only to the MMO departments.

The layoffs seem to corroborate last week’s report about the disastrous original launch of Final Fantasy XIV and its continued financial impact on Square-Enix. Hopefully the upcoming relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will allow the company to bounce back so that this trend does not continue.

Source: Massively. ...

That’s right! Cid Highwind is my number one! Now, before I get into things, I want to address a few potential comments. I want to do this first as otherwise some might read this article with that issue burning away and not enjoy a great piece of music. There are a lot of fantastic themes not included in my top 10. Of course there are – their absence does not mean I think they are devoid of merit! From FFVII alone it was a wrench to leave out the gentle Tifa’s theme, the achingly gothic theme of Vincent, the tribal drum beats of Red XIII and the cheerful and bouncy Yuffie’s theme, let alone the big hitters like One-Winged Angel and Aeris’s theme.

The “Top 10” format is really just a vehicle for discussion, and I’ve deliberately tried to cover a diverse range of Final Fantasy games. Regardless of what your opinion on what the top 10 is, I hope you can at least appreciate this for what it is: an amazing piece of music. Approaching this series, I think I could’ve come at it from two angles. I might have judged the songs on pure musical merit, but what I plumped for in the end was to put an emphasis onto the character and the emotions brought out by the songs. With that in mind, please listen to Cid’s Theme.

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As part of the Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary celebrations, Eyes on Final Fantasy decided to get some of the best members and artists to work together to create an awards event unlike anything you've seen before! This wasn't just a standard awards event where you vote and then someday someone tells you who won, and that's that... no, this event was created as an elaborate show within the Final Fantasy 'multiverse', and it's our delight to present the results to you. Please, follow the below links to find out who won what award, who sang what newly-created song while playing their guitar, who saves the day and more!

This event was created with the intention of saying a massive thankyou to Square-Enix and Final Fantasy. From the fans - all of us!

If you want the full version, including posts by members and Award Creatures, follow this link.
If you want the condensed version without any member comments/posts, follow this link. ...

Ten years after its release, Final Fantasy XI has been the most financially successful game Square Enix have released. Even with its successor - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - facing a re-release, the original FF MMORPG still has a loyal following and, it seems, plans for the future.

Not content to shut up shop, current producer Akihiko Matsui has given an interim report on what the team has been working on. It's a slow moving process, but it looks as though the development team understand the problems facing the ageing beast and are taking steps to fix it.

With the userbase far smaller than it was in Final Fantasy XI's "glory days," Matsui says that things need to change so that new players can experience the vast range of content. They haven't stopped with what content they already have though; the fifth expansion pack - Seekers of Adoulin - is slated for a 2013 release, so there is still growth and new content to be experienced.

It's all very promising for players and fans, and between ...

The iOS port of Final Fantasy Theatrhythm has launched for a tantalising price of absolutely nothing. Free! It sounds too good to be true, and like with most things, that's because it is.

Unbalanced pricing strategies aren't uncommon when it comes to the Square Enix mobile push. We reported on the problems with Demons' Score's pricing (although with it currently on sale, it's actually affordable) but it looks like Theatrythm has fallen into the same pitfall. The 3DS version of the game - retailing for around $30 - includes 76 songs with the base version, with a further 56 available for $0.99 a pop. The iOS version, however, only comes with two tunes straight up, with a variety of differently priced DLCs to complete your collection.

Siliconera ran some numbers, comparing the two, and the results are a little startling. The 3DS version - for the full package - will cost around $81.47, including the price of the game itself. The iOS version, on the other hand? Well, let's look at the equation:
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"Bite me. Oh, better yet, let me bite you!" —Rikku, Final Fantasy X-2

Have you ever felt the need to lose control? Have you ever been red with fury? Perhaps you've had a desire to dress in exotic furs? The Berserkers of the Final Fantasy series know how you feel. Recognized by their fuzzy attires and unwillingness to cooperate with others, the class first made its appearance in Final Fantasy V, where a shard of the Water Crystal is broken in Walse Tower and you receive the power of a Berserker! ...

Another exciting week of fan arts await us in this week's showcase. It's something amazing when artists don't mind sharing their artwork with us, and I hope that you share the love with them by visiting the sources to send them any compliments or critiques you may have for their artworks. It takes love and dedication to put out a new piece of art for the Final Fantasy fandom. We truly have some amazing artists, and I do hope we get to see more in the future. And with that, let's see what this week has in store for us!
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A still shot showing producer Yoshinori Kitase checking out the title menu of Lightning Returns has popped up. It's a pretty simple, like the rest of the series: just the title and logo followed by some options. It's exciting to see signs of actual work though. This won't turn out like Versus XIII!
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Today, Square-Enix released a new video preview of the gameplay in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s alpha phase. This one focuses on showing off the new gathering and crafting interfaces.


The video starts with gathering. The character is presented with a list of the items that can be gathered, as well as the chances of success for each. You simply select one at a time until the resource is used up.

Then the video cuts to a crafter. The crafter’s log lists all of the available recipes. You simply click on the recipe you want, and then are then given the option of using certain skills to complete the item. Each skill impacts the item’s development differently, and the item must be completed before its durability runs out.

Gathering looks a bit tedious, but what else is new? It would be nice to have a feature where you could select one item for the gathering process to repeat automatically (without having to click again and again on the same thing you want to ...

Hey everyone! Goldenboko back! EoFF has been a buzz lately! So much to talk about from Award, to more Awards, to events! My head is spinning from thinking where to start! So let's find out if you've missed anything eh?

• The winter edition of our biannual member awards, the Ciddies, has come and gone. The big revelation thread was quite a success, as winners were being announced nominee by nominee in our chatroom.
• The Final Fantasy Ciddies are still going, and voting has just closed today! Stop by Saturday for the big winners!
• The first round of Would I Lie to You is up! Try and get a read on the Wesley of our forums. Engage.
• We still want to hear why YOU love Final Fantasy!
• We're talking anticipated games of 2013!
• Our member Rantz the great has made another forum skin for your viewing pleasure!
• Wolf Kanno made a series of get to know the staff articles on Square Enix employees. Check out our General Square Enix forum and read up!
• Our first ever Summon of the month article

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A new Tomb Raider trailer has been released by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix as an early Christmas present to all the fans who are eagerly awaiting this addition to the series.

It’s all looking very dark and eerily tense for Lara in this cinematic trailer which shows different scenes from throughout the game combined with gameplay clips.

The opening of the trailer shows Lara struggling to find her footing on a sky-scraping communications tower. We watch as it starts crumbling beneath her, and it only gives us the sense that this game is going to have these scary and unknowing undertones from beginning to end.

It would be no surprise to see this game become a bestseller next year, and to top the charts and ratings as from what has already been released; it is looking like a terrifying adventure awaits Lara.

With just over three months until the game is released, fans are starting to get ...

Square Enix are really going all out with its holiday savings for fans. In addition to Demons' Score and mobile Final Fantasy sales, Square Enix is also offering some sweet deals on other titles, including Hitman: Absolution, Sleeping Dogs and of course, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. It looks like nearly all of the games on in Square Enix's library are getting hit with up to 50% reductions in price; that's a pretty merry Christmas for you right there.


To go with these massive savings, it looks like there's also going to be free shipping. Make sure you get in fast though; this deal is only on until January 2nd! Check out the full range of titles on sale by following the link below.

[Source: Square Enix] ...

Our bets were spot on: Final Fantasy Theatrhythm's teaser site was hinting at an iOS port. The teaser site is now a portal to information on both the 3DS and the iOS versions, but once again it seems Android is being left out of the mix.

The good news is that the Theatrhythm app is completely free to download. The bad news is that it's going to cost around $0.99 for each new song, which is going to quickly add up if you want the full experience. We haven't had a chance to test the iOS versions of the game out yet, but don't forget you can check our a first look at the 3DS version here.

[Source: Kotaku] ...

Yet another game on sale for the holiday period! The rhythm game for iOS (and Android this time) and its DLCs are going on sale until January 31st, so you've got plenty of time to get into it. Though the original release strategy for Demons' Score seemed a little unfavourable to Westerners, these sales mean you can grab it all at an affordable price.


The game itself has dropped from $6.99 to a staggering $0.99 and the following DLCs - which expand the content through added titular Demons - have been slashed too:

• Berial, Erigos, Berith and Lilith DLCs $2.99 -> $0.99
• Beezlebub and Astaroth DLCs $3.99 -> $1.99
• Azazel and Dantalion DLCs $4.99 -> $2.99
• Satan DLC $9.99 -> $3.99

Some big savings up for grabs there, particularly when you look at the drop in price for the main game and the Satan DLC. All up it'll cost you can get Demons' Score for under $20, making it much more affordable.

If you need more incentive, check out the video below and enjoy the fast paced action and really cheesy dialogue! ...