Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV: Online is an MMORPG currently in development by Square Enix. The game follows the success of Final Fantasy XI, which debuted in 2002 and remains active today.
Final Fantasy XIV is not a sequel to FFXI, but will instead take place in its own world, named Eorzea, with the standard Final Fantasy elements present. However, despite the fact that it takes place in its own world, it has striking similarities with FFXI, most notably the character races, which are very similar to the Hume, Elvaan, Tarutaru, Galka and Mithra races of Vana'diel.
The world of Eorzea will be similar to Vana'diel of FFXI as well, but will have a higher level of technological advancement, and its own mythology.
Final Fantasy XIV will contain significantly different gameplay than Final Fantasy XI, modelling itself after the success of its predecessor, player feedback and other successful MMOs. FFXIV will feature a new job system, called the Armory System, which will be based on the weapons a character chooses to wield rather than the selection of jobs and subjobs.
Square Enix also says that FFXIV will not feature experience points in the way that FFXI and most other MMOs do. Instead, the development of specific abilities will occur in a different way. The developers also say that FFXIV will feature a greater balance between group and solo gameplay, with a greater scope of single-player play integrated with the type of group play that is familiar to players of FFXI.
The game will use Crystal Tools, Square Enix's own graphics engine, the same engine powering Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
The game was revealed at E3 2009. The game is planned to be released worldwide on the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows platforms in 2010.