As the summer season swings in, rumors swirl around potential new game announcements, and the Final Fantasy series has long been part of that tradition. Recently, a 4chan rumor suggested that Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida would helm the next numbered entry as its director. Yoshida fielded this rumor during a rebroadcast of the 'Letter from the Producer Live' broadcast series the team is airing as part of the COVID-19 Stay Home initiative. The team has also been providing commentary alongside them in the chat. According to RPGSite, Yoshida candidly wrote: "Ah, looks like some kind of big fake news came out. I'll say it clearly - it's annoying." He went on to say that he would be staying in his role on Final Fantasy XIV "for more years to come (as long as I don't die from sickness or accident)". Recently, following a restructuring of Square Enix's business divisions, Yoshida became the head of Division 3. This divison presides over the development of Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XIV, and recently put out the lovely Dragon Quest Builders 2. Per a recruitment page Square Enix has hosted for several years (and updated last year to reflect the restructuring) the

During Anime NYC, Square Enix revealed several new titles for its lineup of English-translated manga, novels and artbooks for 2020. Among the titles scheduled to release next year during the Fall includes a new novel titled NieR:Automata YoRHa Boys, and a section of manga such as The Apothecary Diaries, Ragna Crimson, The Great Jahy will not be Defeated!, Beauty and the Feast and By the Grace of the Gods. The NieR:Automata YoRHa Boys novel will take place before the beginning of NieR:Automata and focuses on the story of YoRHa Experimental Unit M, a squadron comprised of YoRHa male type models established for the purpose of collecting a full range of behavioral data. The story is written by Jun Eishima, supervised by NieR:Automata Director Yoko Taro and will feature artwork by famed Final Fantasy illustrator Toshiyuki Itahana. Additionally, the following titles have received official release dates for 2020 as well: A Man and His Cat, Volume 1 – February 11, 2020Hi Score Girl, Volume 1 – February 25, 2020Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!, Volume 1 – March 10, 2020Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town, Volume 1 – Mar 24, 2020My

Similar to how Square Enix’s Third Development Division’s recruitment website was updated with new concept art for their upcoming next-gen title; the company’s First Development Division has also updated their own recruitment page, revealing that Square Enix has a brand-new next-generation action game in the works for high-definition consoles and are looking to hire more talented individuals to work on this mysterious new IP. “With an international team of creators from all over the world, our staff is working together to develop a ‘next-generation action game experience’ that goes beyond the framework of existing action games.” The First Development Division is best known for their work on titles such as Kingdom Hearts III, SaGa: Scarlet Grace, Final Fantasy XIII and a multitude of other titles, and possess a large number of skilled staff members who work on games from consoles to smartphones. This studio is also responsible for the creation of Final Fantasy VII Remake and are also looking to bring in more hands to assist it further in its development. While no further information about this new title was provided, it will be exciting to see what new game the First Development Division has in the works alongside the highly anticipated

Over on the recruitment page for Square Enix’s Third Development Division, new concept art was revealed for their next-gen game that had been announced back in April when Square Enix consolidated with Business Division 5 as part of the company's internal restructuring. Described as a large-scale HD game by the studio's manager Naoki Yoshida, this new “Core Title” had moved out of it's initial development stages and began full-scale development when the recruitment announcement had originally been made. “Following Final Fantasy XIV, we have launched a new core project and have begun the challenge for the next generation. This project has already completed its initial development, has completed environment development and is now moving into a full-scale large-scale development phase.” While no further or detailed formation regarding this mysterious IP has surfaced since it’s announcement, it should be safe to guess that the game will be heavily fantasy-themed based on the artwork alone. Whether or not it's Final Fantasy XVI is unknown at this time, so we'll just have to wait and see!

In two blog interviews over on the official website for Luminous Productions (The team behind Final Fantasy XV) Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda and Studio Head Takeshi Aramaki shared their thoughts on game development, their hopes and expectations and more in two separate interviews regarding the past, present and future of their budding studio. Additionally, it was revealed that a brand-new triple-A title is currently underway. According to President Matsuda, despite the studio having created Final Fantasy XV, the IP will be something entirely new: “What types of products and IP is Luminous Productions currently working on? Considering that the studio was initially staffed largely by the development team of “Final Fantasy XV,” I would imagine that they’re working on something relevant to the Final Fantasy series.” Matsuda: No, they’re actually working on completely new IP. “Creating new IP with the latest technology” – that’s the primary mission of Luminous Productions. “Creating completely new, AAA-quality IP with the latest technology at a newly established studio – I feel that’s an incredibly challenging undertaking.” Matsuda: I agree. It’s crucial that we constantly push ourselves to take on new challenges – it’s something all of us in the gaming business must strive for. Square Enix along with

Square Enix will be attending PAX West 2019 at the Washington State Convention Center from August 30th to September 2nd. Attendees visiting Booth #2335 will get to see “Midgar come to life” with a recreation of some familiar sights from Final Fantasy VII’s Sector 1, including the train station and a giant looming Mako Reactor that will house gameplay demos of Final Fantasy VII Remake. A bundle of Square Enix titles will also be available to play at Booth #2141, such as Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, Trials of Mana and more. Activities that will be available at Square Enix’s booth will include the following: Cloud’s Hardy Daytona motorcycle from Final Fantasy VII: Remake will be present for photo opportunities. Challenge and beat Titania Extreme from Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers. Those who successfully beat the challenge will earn an “I Beat Titania” t-shirt. Join three other newcomers to Final Fantasy XIV Online and challenge the Lord of Inferno himself: Ifrit. This special challenge is designed for new players and will reward a free copy of Final Fantasy XIV Starter Edition to take home. Play Square Enix’s popular mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius on a giant touch screen.

Announced today on his official Twitter account, Dragon Quest Builders series director Kazuya Niinou revealed in a thread that he has left Square Enix now that development on Dragon Quest Builders 2 has concluded. Although he is leaving the company, Niinou mentioned he would still assist Square Enix externally and work with them when needed. Below is the Twitter thread, roughly translated: “With development for Dragon Quest Builders 2 completed, I have left Square Enix. I would like to thank Naoki Yoshida, Noriyoshi Fujimoto, Takuma Shiraishi, all of my colleagues and everyone who enjoyed the games I made! Thank you all!  I have been at Square Enix for 7 years (That’s a long time!). I felt a little burnt out after finishing Builders 2 and wanted to try a development cycle different from Square Enix. So I decided to leave for a new development environment. My plans for the future have already been decided, and I want to talk about this decision more next week. I also want to do my best in game development, so please look forward to it. In addition, I am still planning to watch over Builders 2 and will continue to work with Square Enix as external staff. (There

Square Enix has revealed their full lineup for this year's Gamescom event at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany from August 20 through August 24. With their booth set in Hall 9, visitors will have the chance to try out the company's latest software titles including Final Fantasy VII Remake, Marvel's Avengers, the fourth episode for Life is Strange 2 and more. View the full details below: Final Fantasy VII Remake For the first time in Europe, visitors will experience the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Remake, with a hands-on demo showcasing the reimagining of the iconic original game that re-defined the RPG genre. Across 72 stations, show attendees will get their first look at the game before its release for the PlayStation 4 on March 3, 2020. Marvel's Avengers In a worldwide first, fans at Gamescom 2019 will play a hands-on demo for Marvel's Avengers! Gamers at the Square Enix booth will battle as Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor experiencing the preliminary incident of this original Avengers story, launching on May 15, 2020 simultaneously for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia and PC. Trials of Mana Trials of Mana, the latest title in the revered Mana series and full remake of the RPG classic,

Square Enix has announced their lineup of panels and events for San Diego ComicCon 2019 on July 18-21 at the San Diego Convention Center in California, which will include world first gameplay footage for Marvel's Avengers. The Square Enix booth (#3829) will also feature a photo op on Cloud’s Hardy Daytona motorcycle from Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius on a giant touch screen and more. Below is the list of all panels and events: Marvel’s Avengers Panel (Thursday, July 18th, 1:30pm in Hall H) “Creative Director at Crystal Dynamics, and the performance cast of Marvel’s Avengers for a special presentation that will include new information and the first public gameplay reveal for Hall H attendees only.” Life is Strange Panel (Saturday, July 20th, 12:30pm in Room 5AB) “Join Raoul Barbet, Co-Creative Director and Jean-Luc Cano, Lead Writer of Life is Strange & Life is Strange 2, for an in-depth look at the genesis of Life is Strange 2. Experience the backstory behind the narrative, discover behind-the-scenes secrets and see an exclusive glimpse of the next chapter.” Marvel’s Avengers Performance Cast Autograph Session (Thursday, July 18th, 5:00 pm, Marvel Games Booth #2339) The cast will be signing limited edition

Stadia, a PC cloud gaming service from Google, is scheduled to launch in November this year and Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XV, Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider will all be available for purchase immediately when the new platform releases. A couple of the developers at Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal had a few words to say regarding the announcement: “We’re thrilled to bring the critically acclaimed Tomb Raider trilogy to Stadia.” said Gary Snethen, Chief Technology Officer at Crystal Dynamics. “It’s an exciting new platform, and we’re always pleased when new audiences can discover Lara’s origin story.” “Stadia brings new opportunities to our research and development teams, who always love a new challenge,” said Julien Bouvrais, Chief Technology Officer at Eidos-Montréal. “Being part of the first round of games released on the platform allows us to break new ground, and shows our studio’s dedication to delivering trailblazing experiences for all players.” “We’re pleased with the opportunity to bring the engaging characters and immersive world of Final Fantasy XV to even more players through the Stadia platform,” said Final Fantasy Brand Manager Shinji Hashimoto. “The journey of Crown Prince Noctis is the perfect