(Photo : Square Enix, Lightspeed Studios / Screenshot taken from official website)
Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida just shared more details about the in-development Final Fantasy XIV for mobile.
He said that the game will faithfully recreate the original storyline of the long-running MMORPG. It would make it accessible to mobile users. The details were shared during a recent Q&A event headed by Yoshida.
Final Fantasy XIV Mobile
It was revealed that Final Fantasy XIV Mobile will return to the beginning and will start from A Realm Reborn. It will then progress through the various storylines that were introduced in later expansions.
Yoshida also said that players who are already familiar with the original Final Fantasy XIV can relive the story on their mobile devices. He added that newcomers will soon get a chance to dive into the game's world for the first time and embark on a new adventure.
The game's director and producer shared more details. He noted that a massive amount of content and narrative has already been developed. This was because the world of Final Fantasy XIV has already progressed across multiple patches and expansions, according to Polygon.
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Yoshida said that Square Enix and mobile developer Lightspeed Studios are planning to release all of the game's content gradually at a steady pace. He noted that they could change the release schedule based on player feedback moving forward.
They could choose to speed up the update cadence or maintain the tempo that they start with if that is what players find the most suitable. The original Final Fantasy XIV has received five expansions since it was released in 2013.
Reliving the Original Story
Yoshida explained that they were interested in the idea of bringing a mobile version of the game but had doubts about adapting some core aspects. These include monetization and core gameplay that they wanted to become more accessible, IGN said.
He explained that Final Fantasy XIV and its mobile version will be developed and operated independently. The former will naturally be ahead in terms of content and release schedule.
Yoshida said that they view the mobile version as a sister title and they are still involved in its supervision.
On the other hand, Lightspeed Studios said that its core founding members are "die-hard FFXIV fans." They allegedly traveled to Japan personally to hand Yoshida a 100-page proposal for the game's mobile version.
The director apparently sat down with the team and started to outline ideas on a blackboard. This is what supposedly sparked collaborative efforts to bring Final Fantasy XIV Mobile to life, according to MMORPG.
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