Final Fantasy XI sequel rumor slides in and out of existence

Square Enix is working on original MMORPG.

July 18, 2006

Early this week, there was a brief media explosion surrounding a rumor that Square Enix was already working on a sequel to Final Fantasy XI, the persistent online RPG that takes place in a Final Fantasy themed world. The new game was supposedly going to follow in the original's footsteps, but upgrade the online FF to the next-generation. The rumors claimed that the title was in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows Vista.

Square Enix emerged with a statement responding to these claims. The company said that it "Tdid not make such an announcement and has not made any decisions" about the future of Final Fantasy online.

The company did refer back to its earlier announcement of a next-gen online RPG — one which is in progress, but is completely original and does not relate to Final Fantasy.

Although no sequel is in development, Square Enix did mention that the company is working on "expansion packs for Final Fantasy XI ... as well as performing version updates." Final Fantasy XI was last expanded in April with the release of Treasures of Aht Urhgan.

Kudos goes to Square Enix for removing this rumor within hours of its appearance.