The mobile version of Final Fantasy 14 will be released in June, but only in China.
Yesterday, a trailer for the game was released on Chinese video platform Bilibili including the date, while a Live Letter stream provided new details on the game.
The mobile game is being developed by the Tencent-owned Lightspeed Studio, which previously developed PUBG Mobile, hence being released in China first.
However, a global release is still expected, though its date is unknown. In the meantime, players worldwide are able to sign up for updates and news on future tests on the game’s website.
A livestream for the game provided fresh details, including its 16 gear dye layers that will allow players to customise the look of their Warrior of Light in great detail.
For comparison, the main Final Fantasy 14 added only its second dye layer with the latest expansion, Dawntrail.
Also shown, as per a reddit thread, were a new dodge button for all classes, as well as auto-pathing to quests and fates for ease of control – note there won’t be auto-combat.
Final Fantasy 14 Mobile was officially revealed by director and producer Naoki Yoshida back in November last year. He confirmed the game will be free-to-play but won’t include gacha mechanics.
A trailer at the time gave us our first proper look at gameplay, including a fully-realised version of Eorzea in the palm of your hand.
The game’s release will follow the cancellation and shutdown of a number of mobile games from Square Enix in recent years.
Just last week, the company cancelled development of mobile game Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, though confirmed Kingdom Hearts 4 is still on the way.
Square Enix’s latest financial reports showed a drop in sales of its games, particularly with mobile games owing to multiple cancellations. However, sales and profits of its MMOs have increased thanks to Final Fantasy 14 expansion Dawntrail.
It makes business sense, then, to release a version of the MMORPG on mobile as part of its multiplatform strategy.