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Dragon Quest franchises surpasses 100 million units sold
Square Enix announced that the Dragon Quest franchise has sold over 100 million units worldwide. The JRPG series, which began in 1986, has released 11 main titles and numerous spin-offs, with several new games and remakes in development or recently released, including Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams and Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World.
Review – Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion (Switch 2)
The Nintendo Switch 2 port of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – Reunion is praised as the definitive way to experience the game, offering a smooth, visually appealing performance. While the action RPG's core story and gameplay are solid, the narrative is criticized for veering into fan fiction territory, and the DMW system is deemed bizarre and inconsistent, though it shines in the final moments.
Kingdom Hearts’ Kairi Has Suffered Enough, Will Now Headshot You In Fortnite
Fortnite is adding Kingdom Hearts characters Sora, Riku, and Kairi as skins, featuring their Kingdom Hearts II appearances and Keyblades. This crossover allows players to finally play as Kairi, who has historically been a damsel-in-distress in her own series, and potentially use firearms in Fortnite. The update is expected on September 17th.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation’s Director Kept Coming Back To The Witcher 3 For Inspiration
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi revealed that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Horizon served as significant inspirations for the game's cinematic storytelling and player agency. Hamaguchi frequently revisited The Witcher 3 for its excellence in delivering satisfying, cinematic moments within gameplay mechanics. Square Enix aims for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to feature a "planetary scale" world upon its April 2027 release.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Brings Back Snowboarding, And Red XIII Might Steal The Show Again
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will feature the return of the iconic snowboarding minigame, with Square Enix teasing unique interactions for party members. Game director Naoki Hamaguchi hinted that Red XIII's participation might be particularly noteworthy. The game is set to release in April 2028.
14 amazing video games that were let down by awful marketing
This article discusses numerous video games that suffered from absent, misguided, or bizarre marketing campaigns, impacting their sales despite their quality. Examples range from Nintendo underselling Yoshi And The Mysterious Book to Square Enix's poor promotion of Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy and EA's controversial tactics for Dead Space 2 and Dante's Inferno.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Might be Followed Up With More Spin-Offs
Square Enix director Yoshinori Kitase stated that while Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth concludes the Remake trilogy's main story, the company is open to future spin-off games and DLC. He noted the enduring popularity of the characters and the potential for more content based on fan reaction, similar to the original Final Fantasy 7's legacy.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is definitely "the end of the series," says Square Enix director Yoshinori Kitase, but he won't rule out a spin-off if the "fan reaction" is right
Square Enix director Yoshinori Kitase stated that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will conclude the remake series, but he is open to future spin-off titles if fan reception is positive. The success of the original Final Fantasy VII and its subsequent spin-offs like Crisis Core demonstrated the power of fan enthusiasm in extending a game's universe.
Fan Backlash Puts Level-5’s AI Showcase Under Scrutiny
Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino has apologized after fans expressed backlash over the use of generative AI in footage shown during the studio's recent digital showcase. Hino stated that AI was used to make the presentation more spectacular, but insisted that core game elements like scenarios and character designs remain human-made. The incident has drawn comparisons to other games facing scrutiny for undisclosed AI use and highlights a wider industry trend.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Will Allow Players to “Explore the Entire Planet”, Says Director
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi revealed that players will be able to explore the entire planet in the upcoming action RPG. The game expands on Rebirth's open world by adding vertical depth and new transportation methods like the Highwind and Chocobo, allowing for seamless transitions from air to ground. The team focused on creating a vast, explorable world while also implementing guidance to prevent player fatigue.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is being developed by Final Fantasy VII remake studio
Naoki Hamaguchi has revealed that Square Enix's Creative Studio 1, which he leads, is developing Kingdom Hearts 4. This studio was also responsible for the Final Fantasy VII Remake. Hamaguchi previously stated his focus would be on JRPGs after Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Professor Layton studio Level-5's CEO admits using AI to make its digital showcase "more spectacular"
Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino has admitted to using generative AI in the studio's recent digital showcase to make the presentation "more spectacular." Following fan backlash, Hino apologized for making people uncomfortable and clarified that core game elements like scenarios and character designs are still created by human hands. He stated AI is being used for efficiency and experimentation in digitizing creative work, not for generating final game assets.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation's Knights of the Round boss battle wasn't hard enough, so the devs had an "emergency meeting" to rebuild the iconic summon "from scratch"
The development team behind Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth held an emergency meeting to completely rework the Knights of the Round summon boss battle, as the initial version was not considered challenging enough. Director Naoki Hamaguchi stated that combat director Teruki Endo pushed for a stronger enemy, leading to the decision to rebuild the encounter from scratch to honor the iconic summon's power.
After countless memes, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation boss confirms that, yes, Fortnite partly inspired jumping out of the…
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed that the game's party launching themselves off the Highwind airship was partly inspired by Fortnite. While the original Final Fantasy 7 allowed players to teleport off the ship, the remake trilogy will feature characters skydiving to their destinations, a mechanic that drew comparisons to Fortnite's "where we droppin'" meme.
Final Fantasy 7 remake series director says “it kind of feels like fate” to return to Nintendo hardware, talks Switch 2 sales
Final Fantasy 7 Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi expressed that bringing the games to Nintendo Switch 2 felt like fate, especially after the series' initial move away from Nintendo hardware. He is eager to see long-time Nintendo fans re-engage with the franchise. Hamaguchi also discussed how the company's shift towards a multiplatform strategy, coupled with a presentation of the Switch 2's capabilities, led to the decision to develop for the console, which has since performed well.
Square Enix scrambles to fix Final Fantasy 14 bug where new beastmaster could crash entire servers
Square Enix has released an emergency patch for Final Fantasy 14 to address a critical bug with the new beastmaster job that could cause entire servers to crash. The bug occurred when a player's pet used a HP-restoring weapon skill at the exact moment the player disconnected, leading to server instability. This issue required immediate attention due to the potential for widespread disruption.
Final Fantasy 14's funky new roguelike mode has me hyped for Evercold's combat revamp, which'll be a…
The Final Fantasy XIV Beastmaster limited job's roguelike mode, the Crucible of the Unbroken, showcases experimental job design that excites the author for the upcoming Evercold update. This mode moves beyond rote rotations, requiring strategic pet selection and ability usage to overcome unique mechanics, offering a glimpse into Square Enix's potential to reintroduce job identity.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World Has 500 Beasts to Collect, and They're All Super Weird | IGN Preview
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is shaping up to be a charming entry in the monster-collecting RPG sub-series, featuring over 500 unique and weird beasts to collect. Square Enix's focus on Dragon Quest's inherent charm and wholesomeness makes it stand out in a crowded genre.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director confirms his studio is also making Kingdom Hearts 4
Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, has confirmed that his studio, Creative Studio 1, is also developing Kingdom Hearts 4. He stated that both titles are crucial for Square Enix's projected comeback in 2027. While Hamaguchi leads the studio, Tetsuya Nomura remains the director for Kingdom Hearts 4.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director says Square Enix would have to compromise "the quality of the final chapter" to ship the game fully on disc
Square Enix director Naoki Hamaguchi stated that Final Fantasy 7 Revelation requires a download for its physical edition to avoid compromising the game's quality. While physical copies will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch, all versions necessitate an additional download, a decision that has drawn criticism from fans who point to previous multi-disc releases.
