Square Enix and Tencent announce FFXIV Mobile, and the first playtests open soon

Square Enix and Lightspeed are teaming up for FFXIV Mobile, a new adaptation of the massively popular MMO, and the first round of playtests opens soon

Square Enix

Square Enix and Lightspeed, a Tencent studio, are teaming up for FFXIV Mobile, a new adaptation of the massively popular MMO, and the first round of playtests opens soon. Don’t get too excited if you live outside China, though, since the tests are only open for Chinese players. 

Square Enix said FFXIV Mobile will launch worldwide after the playtests end, though there’s no specific release date yet. The initial announcement only says “soon” after the testing period, which also has no set date.

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“It has been 11 years since FFXIV 2.0: A Realm Reborn launched, and this new mobile game will be a sister to FFXIV, aiming to recreate the grandeur of the original's story and combat mechanics on mobile devices,” FFXIV director Naoki Yoshida said in a statement. “Non-combat features, such as Disciples of the Land and Hand, will also be faithfully implemented and we look forward to growing alongside the passionate FFXIV community."

Some of those non-combat features include fishing and Golden Saucer activities, such as chocobo racing and the Triple Triad card game, and Square Enix said that Lightspeed “meticulously crafted” FFXIV Mobile’s visual experience. Weather patterns across each region, day-and-night-cycle lighting effects, and character and equipment designs have, Square Enix says, been “painstakingly” recreated to capture the original game’s detail.

Square Enix made it a point to say that FFXIV Mobile retains the social structure of the console and PC version. You don’t have to get involved with other players outside of dungeons if you don’t want to, but if you’d like to mentor a newbie or just have a casual in-game hangout, you can. 

It was less forthcoming about other pretty important details, though. GLHF asked whether FFXIV Mobile has limited access to features, such as free trials, duty roulette, housing, and high-level activities like raiding; whether post-ARR expansions such as Dawntrail are planned for the port; and what sort of compatibility players can expect between FFXIV Mobile and FFXIV on PC and console. A Square Enix representative said the studio had no further information to share at this time.

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So, we don’t quite know what Yoshida has in mind when he calls FFXIV Mobile a “sister” to the main game. However, with the first playtests set to go live in the near future, perhaps we won’t have long to wait before we find out.