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CultureE3Here’s Your E3 2021 Schedule, From Ubisoft To Nintendo
As fan registration opens for access to the E3 2021 portal and app, organizers have released a tentative schedule of virtual press conferences for the four-day event, starting with Ubisoft and Gearbox Entertainment on Saturday, June 12, and ending with Nintendo on Tuesday, June 15. The four-day show, hosted by Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez, Jacki Jing,…
By Mike Fahey Published June 3, 2021 -
CultureSquare Says Sike
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game Dragon Quest X launched on the Wii all the way back in 2012. Since then, it’s appeared on eight more platforms and received several substantial expansions, but Square Enix has never seen fit to release it in the west. And it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change anytime soon.…
By Ian Walker Published May 27, 2021 -
CultureOffline Version Of Dragon Quest X Announced
When Dragon Quest X was first released in 2012, it was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. It still is! But now in 2021, an offline version has been announced. It’s called, wait for it, Dragon Quest X: Offline Square Enix has tweaked the visuals and created a stand-alone, offline title. The teaser trailer promised…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 27, 2021 -
CultureDragon Quest III Is Getting Another Remake, And It Looks Glorious
Over the years, there have been a number of versions of Dragon Quest III. Add another one to the list. During a live stream today, Square Enix announced an HD remake with 2D graphics. Square Enix is mixing pixel art with 3D computer graphics to achieve the visual look. There was no release date or specific…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 27, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanDragon Quest XII Announced, Hardware Is TBA
Today, Dragon Quest XII was announced during a Square Enix live stream. In the teaser, the “XII” logo was in fire with a voice saying in Japanese, “Why do people live?” The game’s full title is Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii explains that the game will give the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 27, 2021 -
Grab Thy Guitar Cuz Final Fantasy XIV Update 5.55 Is Live
Today’s release of update 5.55 for Final Fantasy XIV delivers the second part of the final main story quest before the Endwalker expansion, adds additional story for the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse quest line, and marks the official launch of the PS5 version of the game. Most importantly, the update lets me rock out on a…
By Mike Fahey Published May 25, 2021 -
CultureE3 Fan Registration Opens Up Next Week
Following a year off as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, E3 will return next month as an all-digital event. It’s free—despite what some earlier reports suggested—but you’ll still have to register if you want access to what passes as a show floor at an online event without an actual show floor. Registration will kick…
By Ari Notis Published May 24, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy XIV‘s Getting Electric Guitars Two Ways
In a move that makes complete sense given the amount of electric guitar that shows up in the online RPG’s soundtrack, Square Enix has partnered with Fender to create an official Final Fantasy XIV Stratocaster, both as a physical instrument you can purchase, and a virtual one playable in game. In other news, I am…
By Mike Fahey Published May 17, 2021 -
CultureFinal Fantasy Has A New Brand Manager
For over a decade, Shinji Hashimoto was the brand director for Square Enix’s Final Fantasy. He has stepped down, and Yoshinori Kitase became his successor last month. Kitase, of course, has had a storied career at Square Enix, working as director on Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2021 -
CultureNew Dragon Quest Will Be Announced Later This Month
Square Enix has announced that later this month it will announce a new Dragon Quest game. Yes, this is an announcement of an announcement. According to Automaton, Square Enix also announced that it will be making this announcement on its official YouTube on May 27 in a 35th-anniversary special. It is unclear if this is…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 13, 2021 -
CultureLatest Outriders Bug Is Killing Players Instantly
To follow Outriders’ post-launch journey is to watch an Olympic game of whack-a-mole. Developer People Can Fly will stamp out one issue, only for another to pop right up. The latest: Some players are apparently getting instantly killed by attacks that otherwise would not cause instantaneous death. “We are aware of the issue whereby damage…
By Ari Notis Published May 5, 2021 -
CultureOne Month Later, Outriders Still Can’t Catch A Break
Baffling nerfs. Connection issues. Inventory wipes. Since Outriders launched a month ago, the game has been plagued by issues. For every step forward, the loot-shooter seemingly takes two back. Today’s update, the first significant one in several weeks, is no exception. Amajor patch released this morning is billed as the “biggest” one yet, and purports…
By Ari Notis Published April 30, 2021 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryMy New Favorite Stormblood Character Is A Random Pirate
In a development shocking to absolutely no one, Stormblood is fucking awesome. I started Final Fantasy XIV’s second expansion mere days ago, and it’s already made the leap from, “this is not Heavensward. I want Heavensward back,” to, “Ok, give me more of this.” I was prepared for Stormblood to underwhelm me. In the FF14…
By Ash Parrish Published April 28, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapanese Pop Star Teams Up With Square Enix For Some Fancy CG
Koichi Domoto, one half of the Japanese boy band Kinki Kids, has roped in Square Enix for his upcoming solo album Playful. It’s Domoto’s first standalone project in six years, and the album also comes with a bonus short movie. So far, there have been a handful of teasers released, allowing fans to see how…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 27, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanManga Artist Hiro Mashima Is Teaming Up With Square Enix For A Totally New RPG
Award-winning manga artist Hiro Mashima, best known for the smash hit Fairy Tail, is joining forces with Square Enix for an entirely new fantasy role-playing game called Gate of Nightmares for iOS and Android. Check out the debut trailer below: Mashima designed the characters and the game’s overall look, while Jin Fujisawa, a Dragon Quest…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 22, 2021 -
CultureOdds and Ends8-Bit Theater Avoids Final Fantasy Copyrights With 20th Anniversary Script Book
From 2001 to 2009, writer Brian Clevinger of Atomic Robo fame produced a hilarious webcomic called 8-Bit Theater, which follows the misadventures of a dysfunctional adventuring party. Unfortunately, that adventuring party is comprised of Final Fantasy game sprites, so Clevinger can’t reprint them without getting sued to hell by Square Enix. That is unless he…
By Mike Fahey Published April 21, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSquare Enix Launches A Photobook Service In Japan For Final Fantasy XIV
If photo books are good enough to revive your digital pics, then surely the same goes for your life in Final Fantasy XIV In Japan, Square Enix is rolling out a new service called Final Fantasy XIV Custom Order Photobook: Memories of Light. It works like Apple’s photobooks, but with in-game screenshots that customers lay…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 21, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesLet’s Hear It For ‘Death Chains,’ The Best Weapon Mod In Outriders
Like any loot-shooter, Outriders is based on chance. But you can sidestep luck by leaning on the game’s intricate network of gear mods, many of which can significantly change the way your guns and armor behave. Most are good, but none compare to Death Chains, a tier-two weapon mod that—and this is putting it lightly—fucks…
By Ari Notis Published April 19, 2021 -
CultureIO Interactive Opens Third Studio, Working On Third Game Alongside Hitman And 007
Danish developer IO Interactive announced today that it has opened a third studio in Barcelona, Spain to work alongside its existing locations in Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden. “All three of the IO Interactive studios are treated as Elite studios and will each make a significant impact to ongoing development and publishing efforts across all…
By Ian Walker Published April 16, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSquare Enix Denies Report The Company Is Up For Sale
After an unconfirmed report that multiple buyers were looking at acquiring Square Enix, the Tokyo-based game maker released a statement denying it. “Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix,” the statement reads. “However, this report is not based on any announcement by Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 16, 2021