Square Enix shocks fans with surprise FFXIV Mobile reveal

Square Enix has announced the imminent arrival of Final Fantasy XIV Mobile and fans of the MMO are reeling.

Final Fantasy XIV has become one of the most popular MMOs of all time standing shoulder to shoulder with giants of the genre like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2. The latest expansion Dawntrail has only improved the game with the addition of two new classes; the Viper and Pictomancer.

Following the expansion’s launch, a series of post-release updates have kept things fresh with new Chaotic Alliance Raids and improvements to more casual slice-of-life elements. Of course, fans of the game have been wondering what’s next for the MMO and the developers have given an unexpected glimpse of what they’ve been up to.

On November 19, 2024, Square Enix made a surprise reveal that it would take its flagship MMO on the go with FFXIV Mobile. The announcement has seemingly come out of nowhere but the details provided should give fans of the online multiplayer title a lot to be excited about.

FINAL FANTASY XIV MOBILE is revealed!
Licensed by SQUARE ENIX and developed by Lightspeed Studios @__lightspeed___ ,this game brings the vibrant world of Eorzea to your mobile devices.
In this reveal trailer, #FFXIV Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida shares an exciting message,… pic.twitter.com/2yaS42zIjO

— FFXIV_MOBILE (@FFXIV_MOBILE_EN) November 20, 2024

Square Enix has partnered with Tencent subsidiary Lightspeed Studios to bring the project about. The studio is a seasoned mobile developer having worked on PUBG Mobile.

Officially, the team at Square Enix has labeled the game an “exciting extension of the beloved franchise” that “faithfully recreates the original game’s award-winning gameplay and story experience”. It’s unclear exactly how FFXIV Mobile will translate the PC experience to IOS and Android or whether or not certain features will be limited.

Lightspeed Studios has made express efforts to retain lifestyle content such as fishing, Triple Triad, and Chocobo racing as well as maintaining the “meticulously crafted visual experience that defines Eorzea”. Some players won’t need to wait long to see exactly what that looks like.

Square has announced a series of FFXIV Mobile playtests beginning in China and launching to the rest of the world “soon after”. Exact dates for these events have yet to be officially announced but we’ll be sure to keep readers updated on any developments with the mobile version of FFXIV.