In the 63rd Letter from the Producer Live broadcast, Final Fantasy XIV director/producer Naoki Yoshida and global community manager Toshio Murouchi revealed the fifth and final major update to follow the Shadowbringers expansion. Titled “Death Unto Dawn,” it will be divided into two parts releasing this Spring, with part 1 releasing on April 13th, 2021. We’ve summarized the major information below — check it out! Death Unto Dawn - Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB0p0UyvS-E Patch 5.5x Content & Features Patch 5.5 Part 1 will release on April 13th, 2021.Patch 5.5 Part 2 will release at the end of May 2021.The main scenario quest will be divided in two parts.A new instanced dungeon will be added called Paglth'an.The final chapter to The Sorrow of Werlyt will be added.A new trial The Cloud Deck (Diamond Weapon) will be added and will include an Extreme difficulty version.YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse Chapter 3 will be added to continue the NieR Automata collaboration. The title of the third alliance raid accompanying it is The Tower at Paradigm's Breach.Job adjustments will be performed. They will be smaller in scope with larger changes reserved for the upcoming Endwalker expansion.The Feast's eighteenth season will end and the nineteenth will begin.Patch 5.55 will update Save the Queen with new content.The current Unreal Trial will be

In a statement released today, Square Enix will be combining the Visual Works and Image Arts divisions into a single entity now known as "Square Enix Image Studio Division." Their new website can be found here. Visual Works is best known for providing many of the CG cutscenes and trailers that accompany Square Enix titles. Image Arts brings along staff who worked on Kingsglaive Final Fantasy XV film but largely engage in research and development into "high-end visual expression with a focus on real-time graphics." Takeshi Nozue, who worked on many cinematics in the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series, has been tapped to head this new division within Square Enix. One of its core goals is to expedite development of new technology: "By fusing the technologies and attributes of the two divisions into the SQUARE ENIX Image Studio Division, the Company aims to become faster at its research and development efforts into next-generation visual expression and at incorporating the results of those efforts into actual content. It thereby hopes to provide its customers with an even higher quality of experience." Visual Works was established in 1997, led by Kazuyuki Ikumori, which developed the CG cutscenes integrated into Final Fantasy VII.

NieR Replicant VER.1.22474487139... is a remaster of the 2010's NieR Replicant that's coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam April 23rd, 2021. An action-RPG set in the same universe as NieR Automata, players take the role of a young protagonist trying to save his sister Yonah. In the latest gameplay video, Square Enix highlights some of the "slow life" activities you might partake in aside from the main thrust, such as growing and harvesting crops from a garden, getting kicked by animals, and sometimes even using them as mounts to accost any target in your path. Oh, and fishing, of course... The game's visuals have been overhauled, and combat too. Developed by Toylogic (with some assistance from Automata developer PlatinumGames), VER.1.22474487139 seeks to shore up some of the weaker parts of the original version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG3iuvEkJPo

Following its recent announcement and title reveal, Square Enix and has revealed an updated trailer offering an extended look at the upcoming Luminous Studios game Forspoken. The extended version features new gameplay featuring the main character Frey Holland (voice and motion capture by Ella Balinska), an ordinary young woman who must harness her magical abilities to survive in a fantastical and dangerous land called Athia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfO0bufHXBA Forspoken is currently in development for PlayStation 5 and PC, with an expected release date in 2021. Additional gameplay footage has been promised for later this year.

Today, Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory was updated (on PlayStation 4 to Version 1.04) with a few minor fixes, and curiously, one cutscene in particular was updated as well. In cutscene #30 "Arrival", which can be unlocked by playing the story campaign, a short conversation can be heard over static: Vexen: "What's happening!?"Ienzo: "And just when things were going well."Ansem the Wise: "Something's wrong. Shut it down!"• Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory - #30: "Arrival" While it likely lends more context to the goings-on in the background, specifically the Radiant Garden group's efforts to delve into Kairi's memories, one can't help but think about what the future has in store for Kingdom Hearts. In a message concluding service for Kingdom Hearts χ Dark Road last month, series creator Tetsuya Nomura shared that "The KH series has entered a preparation phase for what's coming next. That includes the Union χ team, so once the story is over I will have them merge with the rest of the team." Whether that means these separate teams are combining for a specific new title is yet unknown. You can catch our playthrough of Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVO3TjLyeIo&list=PL0DOYNMCfGEk3DgoU4PhYZnQFpYKAqsjh&index=1&t=5908s Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is now available on

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered arrives on mobile platforms iOS and Android today through the App Store and Google Play Store respectively. This is a port of the 2019 version that released on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. It includes retouched character models and options to speed up battles, turn off random encounters, and max out HP, ATB, and activate Limit Breaks if desired. The game will be available for limited-time price of $16.99 before returning to $20.99. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvw7KimpLQI

Death Unto Dawn, the fifth and final major update to Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers will arrive on April 13th, 2021. Typically the fifth update to an expansion is divided into two major parts, including the main scenario quest -- the second of which typically arrives around two months later. It will also include the finale of YoRHa Dark Apocalypse, the alliance raid series and collaboration with NieR Automata and creator Yoko Taro, as well as kick off a beta phase for the PlayStation 5 version, which boasts improved framerates, resolutions, and load times. Square Enix updated the official patch website today with additional information, and it won't be long until more comes -- the next Letter from the Producer Live broadcast highlighting Patch 5.5 will air on Friday, April 2nd. Death Unto Dawn - Part 1 "As towers rise and darkness falls,Eorzea's players take the stage --Blades poised to meet the Final Days." "The Scions have finally succeeded in discovering a cure for tempering, which should prove instrumental in allowing the Eorzean Alliance and the land's beast tribes to settle their differences. Prospects of peace may soon fall to ruin, however, as Fandaniel and the Telophoroi scheme to recreate the Final Days, and ominous

Development on the long-awaited Final Fantasy XI Reboot has been quietly cancelled by developer Nexon, Gamebiz.jp reported recently. According to a translation from Gematsu, both Nexon and Square Enix came to the decision that the game did not meet quality standards expected by fans of the Final Fantasy series from a creative standpoint and so agreed to move development staff to other projects. Final Fantasy XI Reboot was first revealed back in March 2015 and originally was planned to launch a year later in 2016. Given the silence and lack of updates on the game since 2018, it's not surprising that Square Enix has decided to abandon the project. Final Fantasy XI proper is still receiving periodic updates on PC, however, so if you're keen on the game then that's where you need to be.

For those looking to get in on some gaming deals this week, Square Enix has discounted several games in their mobile catalogue through March 29. Here's the rundown on the discounted titles: Final Fantasy III - $6.99Final Fantasy III for iPad - $7.99Final Fantasy IV - $6.99Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions - $6.99 on App Store and $5.99 on Google PlayFinal Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions on iPad - $7.99Chrono Trigger (Upgrade Version) - $4.99Adventures of Mana - $6.99Secrets of Mana - $3.99Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - $8.99 All titles are available on their respective stores - App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore. Final Fantasy Tactics, Valkyrie Profile and Secrets of Mana are currently unavailable on Amazon Appstore.

Square Enix released an extended video highlighting the enhancements coming in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, a souped-up version for the PlayStation 5 releasing on June 10th, 2021. These improvements include enhanced textures, lighting, and fog effects. In the Options menu, two different optimization modes can be selected: Graphics and Performance. Graphics Optimization Mode will prioritize displaying graphics at a 4K resolution while Performance Optimization Mode will prioritize maintaining 60 frames-per-second. The game will also add a Classic Mode version to the Normal difficulty setting where the player-controlled character will attack and defend automatically, allowing you to focus on executing commands. The battle difficulty is the same as Normal. Loading times have also been drastically reduced to a few seconds. A Photo Mode is also added and can be accessed through the pause menu. You'll be able to move and rotate the camera in a fixed space, hide the party for a landscape shot, adjust the angle and tilt of the shot, and apply various filters like black and white or sepia. A new episode featuring Yuffie Kisaragi will be added that takes place parallel to the events of Final Fantasy VII Remake. She and fellow ninja Sonon Kusakabe plot to infiltrate the