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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI's future might just be bright

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Expansions, Game Mechanics, Opinion, Consoles, The Mog Log

We might not have another roadmap for Final Fantasy XI just yet, but we have the next best thing: a letter from producer Akihiko Matsui talking about what's at least being gingerly planned for the next year. More accurately, it's about delays in the existing roadmap, the state of the game, and what Matsui plans to do about it in the near future.

While the letter itself is a little old at the moment, I'm going to be honest and say that I keep re-reading it amidst a mixture of disbelief and hope. I've been getting up on the same soapbox for almost three years regarding Final Fantasy XI's biggest problems, and Matsui's dispatch by and large seems to indicate that the team in charge of the game right now is aware of exactly these issues and actively wants to correct them.

This is kind of staggering. It's the good sort of staggering, but it's the sort of thing you don't expect to see, especially not from a game with a lot invested in gleefully ignoring the rest of the world. But this could mean that despite FFXI's age, next year could be the best one for the game in a long while.

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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XI's future might just be bright originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hiromichi Tanaka is retiring from Square-Enix

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Events (Real-World), MMO Industry, News Items, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV

If you know the history of Square-Enix, you know the name Hiromichi Tanaka. More recently, if you've had anything to do with either Final Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV, the name will also strike a chord, as Tanaka was the driving force behind both games. At the end of last week's VanaFest convention in Japan, Tanaka announced that he will be stepping down from his current position as producer of Final Fantasy XI and leaving Square-Enix, citing health issues that he declined to elaborate upon.

Tanaka's role on the FFXI staff will be filled by Akihiko Matsui, who previously briefly served as the game's director before moving on to work as Final Fantasy XIV's battle designer following the game's troubled launch. This announcement comes in the wake of several major announcements regarding FFXI during VanaFest, including the promise of a new boxed expansion next year and a new UI for the game with the new expansion.

Hiromichi Tanaka is retiring from Square-Enix originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Jun 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XI gets a new director

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Patches, News Items, Consoles

With Final Fantasy XIV launching later this month and a major version update coming in the very near future, Final Fantasy XI is facing some very interesting times. So it's probably fitting that the game has acquired a new director, Akihiko Matsui, the former battle director for the game. Matsui has posted a short letter to the community, talking both about his experience with the game and his continued commitment to the development of Vana'diel.

While Square-Enix has clearly allocated a great many resources to the development of Final Fantasy XIV, there's no sign that support for the older game is stopping. As a 10-year veteran of the project, Matsui recognizes the challenges facing the continued operation and states that he hopes to keep the game up and running for many years to come. Coupled with the encouragement to play both games at once, this announcement should come as welcome news to all players of Final Fantasy XI, both past and present.

[Thanks to FusionX for the tip!]

Final Fantasy XI gets a new director originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy XI Fan Fest live: devs speak out on Wings of the Goddess

Jason Dobson — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Events (Real-World), Expansions, Interviews, Interviews (Massively's), Events (Massively's Coverage)

It's odd to think that any one game could inspire players from all walks of life to set aside two days and flock to one location in celebration, but MMORPGs are unique in that they are as much instruments for social networking as they are video games. Because of this, perhaps it isn't all that surprising to see such fantastic devotion as we've seen here at Final Fantasy Fan Festival (say that five times fast), Square Enix's annual party celebrating all things Final Fantasy XI.

The event, limited to just 1500 attendees, also doubles as a launch party of sorts for the MMO's latest expansion, Wings of the Goddess, which ships on November 20. Goddess adds a number of interesting changes to the existing formula, including two new jobs - Dancer and Scholar - as well as takes the setting back in time to let players take part in, and possibly change the events that helped shape the history of Vana'diel. To find out more about this game, as well as the other changes Square Enix has in store for the MMO, we went straight to the horse's mouth, and joined a handful of other journalists in a private interview session with the game's development team, including Hiromichi Tanaka, Akihiko Matsui, Mitsutoshi Gondai, Kouichi Ogawa, Kenichi Iwao, and Sage Sundi.

Gallery: Final Fantasy XI Fan Festival 2007

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Final Fantasy XI Fan Fest live: devs speak out on Wings of the Goddess originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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