‘Final Fantasy XV’ Getting Online Spin-Off? Square Enix Job Posting Suggests It’s Happening
Will Final Fantasy XV for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One be given the same treatment as Final Fantasy XIII with the latest iteration of the franchise getting sequels? A Square Enix job posting raises that possibility and could take the series online in some capacity.
Anime News Network and Gematsu both picked up on a new Square Enix job listing Tuesday on the Japanese job site JPost. The listing is for an “online game planner” and states that it the developer is looking someone can lead “designing, development, and management planner for a new online game related to Final Fantasy XV.”
The last eight words of that final sentence are the key bit. The online game may not be a direct sequel to Final Fantasy XV, but a spin-off since it is merely “related.” What that may entail is up for speculation, but other parts of the resume that are of interest as well.
One of the requirements for the position is experience with “game production around billing.” That suggests that the Final Fantasy XV spin-off is either a subscription-based online title or a free-to-play title with monetization.
Additionally, it appears that this Final Fantasy XV spin-off may be a PC only game, at least to start. The requirements for the job include “PC games interest, play experience.”
Does that mean the spin-off will be PC only? Not necessarily. Square Enix’s other online games – Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV – saw console releases along with a PC release. Final Fantasy XIV in particular struggled with its initial PC release before being rebooted as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and later gaining a PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 release.
The MMORPG has not reached World of WarCraft levels, but no competing game ever has. It has a solid userbase though, with reports that it is expected to exceed 3 million subscribers following its release in China in August 2014 (via 2P). Final Fantasy XIV was also credited with a strong performance that helped Square Enix’s 2013 financials following A Realm Reborn‘s release in August of that year.
Why do I mention all of this? Simply because the mention of an online game related to Final Fantasy XV in a job listing shows that Square Enix sees an opportunity turning its Final Fantasy games into online titles that gamers will continue to spend money on.
Now the question is when the spin-off could be released. Final Fantasy XV doesn’t have a release date yet, but don’t expect the spin-off to come anytime in the next couple of years.
Would you be interested in a Final Fantasy XV spin-off game? Sound off in the comments below.
[Images via Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XIV]
