Final Fantasy XIV Online

We now know that the staff for their latest is made up of Final Fantasy veterans. Hiromichi Tanaka is the producer, and he previously worked on Final Fantasy I, II, III, and XI. The art direction comes from Akihiko Yoshida, who headed up the delicious Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII in the past. Finally, Nobuo Uematsu is back on board for the musical score.

In what can only be considered a double whammy, Square Enix has denied that Final Fantasy XIV is a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Speaking at a press conference today, senior VP Shinji Hashimoto spoke to attendees with the use of a translator. According to a report on Shacknews, Hashimoto "stressed that FFXIV should not be considered a PS3 exclusive, noting that 'all options' includes Microsoft hardware."

This comes in roughly 24 hours after Sony's Jack Tretton made the stunning announcement that FF14 would indeed be a PlayStation 3-exclusive title.

Despite being a MMO, according to Square Enix, Final Fantasy XIV will play like a regular Final Fantasy game. During the Square Enix press conference, a designer for the game indicated that the game was first crafted with it being a single player experience in mind but expanded into a MMO. Unlike traditional MMOs, gamers will be able to have a full satisfying experience playing the game solo or with a party. There will also be a huge focus on story and character development.

I talked a little about the subscription model for the game yesterday, but today I received word from a source that a Square Enix rep at the booth have indicated that Final Fantasy Fantasy XIV will use a Free-to-Play (F2P) model, which has been gaining popularity recently. There are no details yet, but apparently Sony and Square Enix is currently in discussion regarding the subscription model.

Currently, Sony has revealed that SOE will utilize a similar Free-to-Play model for new MMOs in development for the PS3. I suspect that this is the model Sony has pitched to Square Enix. Since the PS3 is fully capable of acting like server, Sony has been throwing up PS3s onto racks to act as dedicated servers for other games, so this arrangement with Square Enix sounds plausible.

Also, according to my source, Final Fantasy XIV will require at least 5GB of mandatory harddrive space, which to be frank sounds a bit too small for a next gen MMO (I’m thinking more like 10GB). During the press conference Square Enix also confirmed that there will indeed be a beta for the game, which is fantastic news. Gamers can expect a worldwide simultaneous release of Final Fantasy XIV in 2010 for the PS3 and PC.

The latest edition of Famitsu Wave recently hit newsstands in Japan, bringing with it a DVD which contains an 8-minute exposé on Square Enix's second stab at the MMO genre, Final Fantasy XIV. The whole video is posted after the break. Fret not -- it sports convenient English subtitles.

Here's some of the more titilating excerpts: The game features a reinvented character progression system which does not include experience points or leveling up. The job system from XI will make an appearance, but in a heavily altered form -- an interview with the game's director, Nobuaki Komoto, revealed that the game will place a focus on the weapons players use, explaining that your armaments will determine "the way you play" and "the way you grow." Sounds reminiscent of Final Fantasy IX. (That's a very good thing.)

In addition, FFXIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka explained that the game takes place in a new region with a more "modern" feel to it -- the mysterious Eorzea which was mentioned in the trailer. The new world features familiar races (albeit with new names), and plays host to a "deep story," which is told through cut-scenes and quests. For more FFXIV info than you can possibly handle, check the video after the jump.