This year marks the first New Years' letter for Square Enix president and representative director Takashi Kiryu, succeeding Yosuke Matsuda in June 2023. In last year's letter, Mastuda expressed a heighted interest by the company in exploring new technologies including NFTs. Despite being a major strategic theme for the company in 2022, it appears Square Enix's approach has been tepid at best. The company has previously incorporated NFTs into one of its smartphone games, Shi-San-Sei Million Arthur, an idle game that allows you to mint NFTs out of a character's undergarments, though the company remains noncommittal the project, as if it were a joke. Another NFT game, Symbiogenesis, promised a "digital collectible art project" that was intended to launch in Spring, but spent the year stringing followers along with cryptic teases about gameplay elements. Perhaps the non-committment can be attributed to the floor falling out from under NFTs in the last year, with as much as 95% of the assets now being essentially worthless. In Kiryu's letter, he remarks upon the challenges emerging from COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing geopolitical turmoil, and inflation, and attributes this to a "rise in uncertainty in society". Emerging and "eye-catching" technologies such as the metaverse or "extended reality"

The teams at Square Enix have posted their 2024 greetings to ring in the new year, and we've collected them below! This includes some of the postcards, artwork, videos, greetings and letters shared online. We've also got our video roundup of all the Square Enix games that released this year with the exception of ports of previously released titles. Have a gander! From our team at Nova Crystallis: Happy New Year! 2024 Greetings PARANORMASIGHTThe Seven Mysteriesof Honjo Today is the last day of 2023. Released in March of this year, Paranormasight has spread thanks to everyone's support and has been able to be played by many people. We also received various awards we really appreciate it! Thank you very much for your support this year Ladies and gentlemen, we wish you all a Happy New Year. Paranormasight is on sale! FOAMSTARS What a great year! Thank you to everyone who has joined the FOAMSTARS Party, 2024 is going to be our year! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFwrD_bLpkg LIVE — A — LIVE Happy New Year! We have finally reached the 30th anniversary of Live A Live. Thanks to everyone's passionate and persistent support, we were able to make the remake a reality and welcome this year. We're grateful for this year and we hope to have fun with everyone through

Dragon Quest Tact will end service on February 29, 2024, according to an announcement from Square Enix today. Developed with Aiming Inc., the gacha-style tactical RPG features the monsters of the Dragon Quest series that can be recruited into a party and battled a turn-based fashion with tactical grid-based combat. Released on smartphones globally in 2021, the game only recently released its Version 4.0 update and an in-game collaboration with Dragon Quest V. Square Enix has halted the sale of in-game currency effective today, as well as sale of the season passport and the ability to automatically renew it.The closure of Dragon Quest Tact is the latest in a culling of smartphone gacha-style games, including Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai A Hero's Bonds, and more. Dragon Quest Tact's developer Aiming Inc. was also the subject of an investigation into insider trading charges against two Square Enix employees including the indictment of Balan Wonderworld developer Yuji Naka, who bought shares in Aiming and other Square Enix partners when he learned of their collaborations with Square Enix to develop games. A judge found Naka and Taisuke Sazaki guilty of these charges and

The Heavensturn limited-time seasonal event returns to Final Fantasy XIV from December 31st, 2023 through December 31st, 2024. Subtitled "Tip the Scales in Your Favor", a short scenario quest will be available in game with a variety of seasonal rewards. Limited time items from previous years' iterations of the event can also be purchased from the Online Store at a discount. Take a look at the event details below, and, while you're here, check out where to unlock new content in Patch 6.5, which released on October 3, 2023. This patch continued main scenario with Growing Light, and concluded the alliance raid series Myths of the Realm. Further updates will include a final story update, a new Variant Dungeon, upgrades to weapons and tools, and additional side quests. You can also check out the recent Live Letter detailing Patch 6.5 Growing Light and the recent announcement of the fifth expansion Dawntrail here. "The sun shall soon rise on a new year, and the visiting Far Eastern delegation is most eager to share their Heavensturn traditions with the realm once more. To that end, the ryu metsuke and ryu bugyo have arrived in Limsa Lominsa with a charmingly costumed chocobo chick to celebrate their

SaGa Emerald Beyond, the newest title in the SaGa series, will be launching April 25, 2024 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. It will also be launching simultaneously in Japan and North America, a series first. The announcement came as part of Square Enix's SaGa Glimmerfest broadcast which aired early this morning, and coincides with the franchise entering its 35th anniversary year following the debut of The Final Fantasy Legend or Makai Toushi SaGa on the Game Boy in 1989. SaGa franchise creator Akitoshi Kawazu, franchise producer Masanori Ichikawa, franchise localization director Neil Broadley, and head of community and service at Square Enix London Saori Spencer-Hill joined an hour long show where new information about the game was shared. After SaGa Scarlet Grace, Kawazu decided the representative color of the next series title would be "emerald" and that instead of iterating the title by placing a numeral after it, the team wanted to set it apart from Scarlet but also denoted that this belongs to a new series of SaGa games. Just as scarlet colors were important to the theme and aesthetic, emerald colors will follow suit in this title. Localization director Broadley stated that all lines with

Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis will be adding a new story chapter in an update landing December 15th. It's the second chapter of the Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII scenario, wherein SOLDIER operatives Zack and Angeal are dispatched to the latter's home town in search of a defector: Genesis Rhapsodos. It's here that Zack uncovers a dark secret involving his mentor and his employer. To unlock this chapter, you'll first need to complete the first chapter "The Missing SOLDIER". Recent and upcoming updates to the game include a level cap increase to a maximum level of 65, new character stream nodes to upgrade stats, as well as a new Bahamut summon and the requisite pact missions. The Abandoned Factory dungeon will be added featuring both Criterion and Crisis difficulty modes, and the Sunsin Cave will have an added Crisis mode difficulty. The game will also be running several campaigns to celebrate 100 days of service on December 14th. Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis is now available on iOS, Android, and PC via Steam. You can check out our gameplay of the recent Steam release here. Players can use a function to share their progress between the PC and smartphone versions. Crisis Core Final Fantasy

This month's update for Final Fantasy XI dropped today, and features the typical refreshed Ambuscade objectives for Normal and Intense modes. Tomorrow, a new event will begin: Vana'bout. It will continue through December 25th. During this challenge period, players can earn plaudits based on the value of their contribution when completeing special Records of Eminence objectives. If the total number of plaudits earned by players worldwide exceeds a certain threshhold, the challenge is considered a success, and said plaudits can them be exchanged for a variety of rewards. The Starlight Celebration seasonal event is also back this Friday, December 15th. Players can enjoy mini-games where they can take back presents and furnishings goblins have stolen the moogles. Participating will get you a unique sitting emote, as well as Starlight-themed items, materials for the Orchestrion, and more. Additionally, the new Login Campaign has kicked off for December, where players can earn login points each day and use those points to redeem a selection of items and equipment. This month, the Yagyu Shortblade, Erudite's Staff, and Chocobo Chair II items are featured. The campaign concludes on January 2, 2024, with points exchangable until January 9th, 2024. Ambuscade Ambuscade Starlight Celebration

At The Game Awards 2023, a brand-new title in the Mana series was revealed: Visions of Mana. The marks the first original title for the action-RPG series in 15 years, with recent entries being remasters or remakes. Visions will be coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Steam, and Windows in 2024 — and we have first details from Square Enix alongside a debut trailer. Visions will have you play as Val, a "curious and carefree" young man who hails from the Fire Village of Tianeea. Every four years, a Faerie visits the regions of the world to choose "alms". Alms are people destined to travel to the Tree of Mana, a massive tree that presides over the flow of mana that sustains all life. Val invites his childhood friend to a festival to welcome the Faerie, and in the ensuing events, Val's friend is chosen as an alm and tasked with journeying to the Mana Tree. He decides to set out alongside her as her "soul guard" with the blessings of the villagers. In the images and artwork, we can see Val and his friend accompanied by a blonde-haired character with cat ears and a blue cape, and a silver-haired

The Starlight Celebration limited-time seasonal event returns to Final Fantasy XIV from December 15th through December 31st, 2023. Subtitled "Ties to Remember", a short scenario quest will be available in game with a variety of seasonal rewards. Limited time items from previous years' iterations of the event can also be purchased from the Online Store at a discount. Take a look at the event details below, and, while you're here, check out where to unlock new content in Patch 6.5, which released on October 3, 2023. This patch continued main scenario with Growing Light, and concluded the alliance raid series Myths of the Realm. Further updates will include a final story update, a new Variant Dungeon, upgrades to weapons and tools, and additional side quests. You can also check out the recent Live Letter detailing Patch 6.5 Growing Light and the recent announcement of the fifth expansion Dawntrail here. "Wintry weather has settled in across the realm, and the citizens of Eorzea have begun preparing for this year's Starlight Celebration. The time has come to deck the halls with festive decorations and delight others with heartfelt surprises─who will you remember during this season of giving? Quest Blue Starlight Location: Speak to the Bearded Lady @ Old

Earlier today, Final Fantasy XVI announced that two paid DLC packages will come to the game, and the first was shadow dropped today. Titled Echoes of the Fallen, Clive and company lead an investigation into a Fallen ruin after strange crystals appear on the black market. A new storyline comes with this DLC that takes place before the ending of the game, a new re-playable stage, equipment, and an increased level cap have been added. Alongside the first DLC, Square Enix has updated the game for everyone with the following changes, including a new feature for Vivian's State of the Realm, new orchestrion rolls, and changes to the leaderboard, Arcade Mode, and Training Mode. Read what's new in Patch 1.21 below. Final Fantasy XVI is now available on PlayStation 5. Additional Features Adds a new Inner Voice option to the Grand Cast menu, which can be viewed upon inquiring with Vivian about the State of the Realm. Hover the cursor over a character and press the touchpad to view their inner feelings towards their allies and enemies. See how each character's feelings change as the story progresses. Adds several new orchestrion rolls. These can be obtained from in-game vendors after progressing a certain way through the story. Introduces