Recently, Final Fantasy XIV Producer Naoki Yoshida admitted that another failure like FFXIV’s original launch could doom the company. This was not just hyperbole. A recent financial report from Square-Enix only confirms Yoshi-P's prediction, and this one is straight from SE’s Chief Financial Officer, Yosuke Matsuda. Despite being released over two years ago, the financial impact of FFXIV’s horrific failure are still being felt throughout the entire company.

Final Fantasy XIV was meant to build off of the huge success of Final Fantasy XI (the most financially successful Final Fantasy ever), and be a constant and safe source of income. In short: it wasn’t. Instead, FFXIV’s original failure meant that MMO as a category of games for SE is still yielding no money and operating at a loss -- which has resulted in a “negative chain of events” that impacted the entire company. Matsuda pointed to the delay in development of new HD games as just one example of this impact, and elsewhere in the report it’s noted that Square-Enix’s ...

News about the newest edition of Final Fantasy XIII continues to trickle out. This time, an expected date for a trailer debut. The official Facebook page of Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns released the following image.


The translated announcement that went along with it was "There are only 10 days until 2013 Jump Festa! A Lightning trailer will be exposed. The latest footage will appear that Square Enix Jump Festa Booth." Being the first trailer released for the game, it's unlikely we'll see any gameplay along with it, however we might get some tantalizing clues of what events have unfolded that will set the stage for the second sequel to Final Fantasy XIII. As always, stick with Eyes On Final Fantasy to find out - as we will scour the internet to find this trailer for you upon its release.

[Source: nowgamer] ...

Do you remember about a month ago we showed this awesome artwork for the awkwardly named Final Fantasy Tribute ~Thanks~ album? Good! Because things are even more exciting now that the album has been released. For something comprised entirely of remixes of our favourite Final Fantasy tracks, it manages to balance the nostalgia value with the fresh new arrangements without stumbling over and making a mess of things. It's actually quite good, from what I've been able to listen to. A sample can be found at the bottom of the article, for the impatient among you.


I've only been able to find a sampling of the tracks, although it's a sample of apparently every single song on the album so it's not bad for a tester. It's a surprising success, bringing together a wide range of Japanese artists with unique re-imaginings on both new and old FF tunes all in the name of celebrating the series.

For now the album is only ...

Square Enix are helping us get into the spirit of the festive season with some price drops on some of their iOS games. It's a nice gesture - even if Android gamers are being shafted - but the savings are only for a limited time, so you'd better get in quick to make the most of it! The following games are only on sale until December 14: ...

With one Star Ocean countdown site currently active, Square Enix are at it again, launching another teaser site - this time for Theatrhythm. The site features four rows with command prompts sweeping through them, mirroring the control scheme from the game. The words "Coming Soon" lurk down the bottom.

While there's no saying just what could be on the horizon, the simple fact remains that Theatrhythm and its DLC negate any real need for a sequel. That kind of news would be a bigger cash grab than a Final Fantasy VII remake. So if it isn't a sequel, what else could they possibly be waiting to tell us?

Odds are it's news of a port to mobile devices. The touch screens on smart phones and tablets are perfect for the rhythm game, and it would really open up a wider market. With some very favourable first experiences from Eyes on Final Fantasy member Formalhaut, this news might just give non-DS owners ...

Square-Enix just released some new concept art for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, featuring Bahamut. Check out this badass:


There’s also concept art for Bahamut-related gear: a wicked looking helmet, a weapon, and some head pieces.


Now I want them all. ...

A month or so ago, I talked with a friend about the future top 3 themes in this list. When I mentioned Terra's name, she strongly disagreed and told me all of you would be miffed if I put her over Celes's theme, a poignant piece that particularly shone during the suicide attempt. In response to this, I conducted a poll in the Final Fantasy VI forum. The results were rather conclusive. To prepare for this article I spent my entire lunch break listening to this song on repeat on my iPod... now you can experience this too!


Remember when you first heard this song? The start of FFVI. Two soldiers and a mysterious girl in MagiTek armour set off during a blizzard, each step drawing them closer to the glow of Narshe. It wasn't a particularly bombastic or action-packed opening, but I think it was a powerful one.

Listen to the bassline and the drum beat. Steady, precise and rhythmic. Marching music, you could say. Then listen to the main melody and the strings. Hopeful, beautiful and haunting. The bassline and drum? That represents the Empire. The main melody, of course, represents Terra. Terra, constrained by the Empire, longs to be free as she marches off to Narshe. Regular ...

Final Fantasy IV has been seeing a bit of a resurgence lately! The EoFF classic Ah, The Power of Cheese! is being reborn, Sephex has been livestreaming his playthrough with EoFFers, and an iOS and Android port have been announced!


With all of this excitement, what better time to add a little piece of Final Fantasy IV artwork to your collection? This quite phenomenal piece - pictured below - was painted by one John Moriarty, depicting Edge, Rosa, Cecil, Rydia and Kain facing off against Demon Wall.


It's pretty damn impressive, and that's without even acknowledging the FF-based glee bubbling away inside me. You can buy the original, in its gold frame, for $475 USD off Moriarty's Etsy store (linked above). Or, if you're not keen to drop that much gil, you can pick up 8.5 x 11″ prints for $15.

[Source: technabob] ...

It might not seem like big news, but with the soundtrack of Final Fantasy XIII-2 being touted as one of its best features, having the same team return for Lightning Returns should keep our ears pleased at least.


The return of Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, and Mitsuto Suzuku was confirmed at the Distant Worlds concert in Chicago on December 7. It was confirmed through a - of all things - poster giveaway. Square Enix is loving these posters!

More information on Lightning Returns will inevitably surface soon, with the game listed in Square Enix's lineup for Jump Fiesta 2013 which will be held December 22-23 this year. Watch this space for updates!

[Source: Nova Crystallis] ...

I bought Theatrhythm Final Fantasy from my local GameStop a few hours ago! I just played it for about an hour or so, so I thought I would give you all my first thoughts on the game, as well as some facts about it for the uninitiated. For those who aren't in the know, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is a game that was released for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game system in Japan in February 2012, followed by releases in North America, Australia, and Europe in July 2012. As the title of the game would suggest by the words "theater" and "rhythm", this is a music-themed game. Much like Dissidia Final Fantasy, the story lets you play as the main characters from the 1st Final Fantasy all the way to the 13th, and has a focus on the gods Cosmos and Chaos. The "space between the gods", if you will, is called Rhythm. Rhythm is the home of a crystal which controls music. I believe this is where the plot of the game resides!

You play through songs and earn "Rhythmia", which I believe is the crystal's power, and in doing so you return some ...

Square Enix loves their countdowns. Recently a new one popped up. Full of space and tweets.

Two planets floating in space with a sun looking down on us, we are presented with a countdown. Earlier in the day the only word on the screen was "STAR". Now to join it is "DIVIDE." In the small text below the countdown it reads "Universal Accel Cosmic Drive". Tweets are then appearing when people mention anything about the site. So what is this all about?

Most fans are jumping straight to the conclusion of a new Star Ocean game. Star Ocean was a popular series that many final fantasy fans branched out to, to fill their minds with space and adventure. It was definitely one of the influential game series that caused many fans to truly sink into the RPG fandom.

Most fans did jump to this conclusion that the countdown would be from their beloved series but over at Siliconera, they discovered actual evidence of the sort. They found something called "Star Galaxy" has been trademarked by Square Enix. Could ...

20 years ago today, the game we know and love, Final Fantasy V was released. Twenty years ago, we were greeted by Bartz and his crew to save the world from the crystals mysteriously shattering. Exdeath was trying to rule the world and on this day, this day was the day we stopped him. (or started to at least)

Happy birthday to Final Fantasy V! Thanks for making our childhoods that much more entertaining! When did you first play FFV? Have you not yet? WHY NOT! What was your favorite part? Join us in celebrating this game's birthday. ...

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy IV will be released on both iOS and Android software, so playing the revolutionary RPG is about to become even easier. The announced date for the iOS release is December 20th, just in time for last minute Christmas purchases! The Android version won't be up until "Early 2013" however. Ports appears to be the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV, so they will be in full 3D!


Along with this news, the apps store announced "Take advantage of a limited-time sale celebrating the coming release of Final Fantasy IV!" This iOS sale is outlined below.

Game
Final Fantasy - was £5.99 / $8.99, now £2.49 / $3.99
Final Fantasy II - was £5.99 / $8.99, now £2.49 / $3.99
Final Fantasy III - was £10.99 / $15.99, now £5.99 / $8.99
Final Fantasy III for iPad - was £11.99 / $16.99, now £6.99 / $10.99
Final Fantasy Dimensions - Full Unlock was £19.99 / $28.99, now £11.99 / $16.99

[source: PocketGamer] ...

Getting back into the thick of things can be hard to do. Having to readjust to the old schedule, and then sticking to it. That's the problem with having a week break, and hopefully we won't encounter another break. However, another holiday is fast approaching, so it may be time to prepare for another week break to celebrate. Til then, we have fanart to be enjoyed, and this week is no exception! So if you enjoyed a piece that was in the showcase, please send the artists your compliments by visiting the sources. Thanks for showing your support!
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