It'd be fair to say Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's next-gen makeover of characters, monsters, and more from the 1997 original has been a spectacular glow-up. The modern console era has returned an iconic cast and world to us with a level of realism in gameplay that even pre-rendered cutscenes over 25 years ago couldn't match. We asked Square Enix if they could crunch some numbers and share some insight into the changes nearly three decades of technological advancement have wrought. Here, main character modeler and lead character artist Dai Suzuki walks us through a selection of characters, creatures, weapons, and more.

Dai Suzuki: When people think of Cloud, most think of his gigantic sword and his unique hairstyle. Because it is so iconic, we needed to put special effort into creating Cloud's hair for Final Fantasy VII Remake, to properly express his personality. The hair was an extremely high-priority element and in fact accounted for half of the total polygon count for the whole model. In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the hardware has been changed to PS5, allowing for a higher polygon count to be used than in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

Samsung is partnering with Square Enix to launch a limited collector's edition package of the 990 PRO 2 TB SSD co-branded with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (FFVII Rebirth). The package consists of a special 180 mm x 180 mm x 175 mm (WxDxH) cuboidal box with branding and imagery from FFVII Rebirth characters. Inside, you'll find a Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD with its reference heatsink. The heatsink makes the drive compatible with the PlayStation 5. There are no changes in the specs of the drive—it offers 2 TB of storage with a 2 GB LPDDR4 DRAM cache, and transfer speeds of up to 7450 MB/s sequential reads, and up to 6950 MB/s sequential writes, making it among the fastest Gen 4 SSDs in the market. But that's it with the bundle—you don't actually get the game, but a special edition box that can make for a good background prop if you're streaming. The limited collector's edition is expected to come out some time in March 2024.

Get ready to dive into the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000 like never before in this PowerWash Simulator Special Pack, coming February 27th 2024. You can find PowerWash Sim and the Warhammer 40,000 Special Pack on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, Windows, and Steam. Are you ready to powerwash the galaxy clean?💦 The world of Warhammer 40,000 meets PowerWash Simulator, where you will be tasked with cleaning the vehicles of the grim dark future. This exciting announcement was made at IGN Fest, an event where fans from across the globe come together to celebrate the most anticipated upcoming titles.

Deep in the Indomitus Crusade, relentless campaigns across the galaxy have imbued a variety of Imperial machines with a litany of dirt. As a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, it is your singular honour to perform the ultimate purification protocol. You are blessed with an all new Adeptus Mechanicus character model and well-equipped for the ritual cleansing with a custom MKII Aqua-Santica Arquebus power washer; the perfect fusion of human and machine.

A true blockbuster has come to PC—and we mean that strictly speaking! Dragon Quest Builders is out now for PC via Steam, with upgraded features and previously released DLC at no additional cost! Read on and we'll tell you all about it...The game is set in the world of Alefgard, a broken world where monsters roam the land and creativity is all but extinct. It's up to you to set things right, but as you're repeatedly told: you're not a hero. You're a builder. Over multiple areas, you'll rebuild this ruined world from scratch. You'll fulfil the many requests of the citizens of the world by gathering resources, constructing buildings, crafting items, battle dangerous bosses and ultimately make the world a better place one block at a time.

What is Dragon Quest Builders?
The game features a lengthy campaign where you'll complete multiple quests and play through a compelling story where the mysteries of the regions and world are revealed. You'll have to rely on your own wits and creativity to overcome the many challenges in each area, especially if you want to achieve the hidden bonus objectives too. While there's a tremendous amount of freedom in the main story, you can also indulge your creativity in the sandbox mode - a blank canvas of possibility where you can really push your imagination to the limit! It's an exceptional game, and the new PC version makes it even better with some awesome features and DLC from previous versions included.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the newest installment in the Final Fantasy VII remake project and one of 2024's most-anticipated games, tells the tale of main protagonist Cloud Strife and his loyal companions who explore a massive world outside Midgar, the city of Mako, as they pursue Sephiroth, one of the most iconic antagonists in video game history.

Ahead of the full game's release on February 29, the demo releasing today allows you to not only take control of the protagonist, Cloud, but take full control of the legendary swordsman Sephiroth in battle. You will be able to play as Sephiroth as part of the extended flashback section, as Cloud recalls an earlier mission in his career as a Soldier - the Nibelheim incident. Taking place several years before the events of the game, this will set the stage for several important moments within Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. What's more, we're planning to release an update later this month that will allow you to explore part of the Junon region before the release of the full game on February 29. We hope you'll take this opportunity to venture into the world of Final Fantasy VII!

Late last year, Square Enix unveiled Visions of Mana—the Japanese publisher stated that they had set a general 2024 launch window for their colorful action role-playing sequel, with a planned release across PC, plus current and past generation console platforms. Microsoft's recent Xbox Developer_Direct presentation included a prominent slot for Visions of Mana and its development team—many news outlets started to speculate about the ongoing relationship between Square Enix and Xbox Game Studios. The game appears to be scheduled for a "Summer 2024" launch, although some leaked material alludes to a "Day One" release on the Xbox and PC Game Pass subscription service.

Square Enix is perceived—by the wider gaming community—to have close ties to the Sony PlayStation ecosystem, due to a regular rollout of exclusive titles. For example, the Final Fantasy franchise back catalog is not well represented on Xbox systems—this could change in 2024 and beyond; a port of Final Fantasy XIV Online was announced by Phil Spencer last year at a Fan Fest event. The embracing of Xbox platforms is certainly a novel concept at this point in time, but Microsoft's gaming division has been fighting hard to form new allegiances. Eurogamer has reported that references that tie Visions of Mana to a "Day One Game Pass launch" have been scrubbed from the internet: "There's no longer any mention of Game Pass when searching for the game and its entry on the Xbox website simply states "coming summer 2024" on both console and PC. As such, this could be a mistake. But many fans are hopeful of its Game Pass arrival."

With his long silver hair, enormous odachi blade and epic theme song composed by legendary Nobuo Uematsu himself - Sephiroth is one of the most recognizable antagonists in RPG's history. The one-winged angel debuted in the original Final Fantasy VII in 1997 as a once-loved war hero and first-class SOLDIER who descended into madness and promised to destroy the planet upon learning of his unnatural creation. But there is much more to Sephiroth than just that. In Final Fantasy VII Remake, Sephiroth appears sporadically, mainly as a haunting memory, as the story focuses on Cloud and his friends trying to stop the evil corporation Shinra from killing the planet by using its life essence, mako, as an energy source.

In the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, however, we will see Sephiroth in his full glory. We asked Producer Yoshinori Kitase to discuss reimagining this iconic character in the Remakes: "The story in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth starts after the team has escaped Midgar and continues all the way up to the Forgotten Capital. In the original game, Sephiroth barely appeared during this section, but in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, he is the driving force that pulls the story along to fill that void. He is depicted in even more depth than in the original game, and I think this makes him an even more charismatic and appealing antagonist than before."

Visions of Mana is a game of many firsts. It's the first entirely new mainline Mana game for more than 15 years. It's the first game to offer such sprawling 3D worlds and freedom to explore them. And—perhaps most excitingly for the readers of this blog—it's the first Mana game to release on Xbox! Of course, that means that some of you may not be entirely familiar with this franchise. You may be wondering: What makes this one of the most beloved Square Enix series out there? Why did this announcement and trailer for Visions of Mana shown at The Game Awards 2023—and its surprise appearance in Developer_Direct—make people so giddy and excited. Let's start by introducing you to this brand new adventure.

What is Visions of Mana?
This sprawling new single-player action RPG puts you in the shoes of Val—a curious and carefree young man and skilled fighter. One eventful night, his childhood friend is chosen as an alm—someone who must travel to the Mana Tree and rejuvenate the flow of mana power. Val joins her as the Soul Guard to protect her on her journey, and an epic adventure begins. As Val, you'll explore vast areas, battle monsters, gain allies, and uncover the many secrets of this expansive world. And what a world it is! As you can see from the screenshots and trailer, it's a beautifully vibrant game with rich colors and expressive characters. The beauty is matched by equally appealing combat. Aerial combat allows for physical and magic attacks in mid-air, and the grand and mysterious powers of the Elemental spirits can assist players in the form of specialized weapons.. It's fast-paced, strategic, and endlessly satisfying.

It's the start of a New Year, and what better way to celebrate than with a new look at one of 2024's most exciting games! Our brand new trailer takes you deeper into the game to offer another tantalizing tease of what to expect. Take a look (below). Final Fantasy VII Rebirth launches for PS5 on February 29, 2024 and is set to be a truly epic adventure. The highly anticipated new standalone story in the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy VII remake project—winner of Most Anticipated game at The Game Awards. Here's just a taste of some of the places you'll get to explore… and some of the compelling characters you'll meet along the way.

ABOUT FFVII:RB
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH is the highly anticipated new story in the FINAL FANTASY VII remake project, a reimagining of the iconic original game into three standalone titles by its original creators. In this game, players will enjoy various new elements as the story unfolds, culminating in the party's journey to "The Forgotten Capital" from the original FINAL FANTASY VII.

Here's a sight for sore eyes if you're Mana fan - we're excited to announce an entirely new entry in the series coming in 2024: Visions of Mana! This beautiful new game is the first mainline instalment in the Mana series in over 15 years and returns to its action-RPG roots for an expansive, vibrant adventure across a semi-open field. You can get a look at what to expect in the new trailer or read on and we'll tell you all about this exciting and vibrant new adventure!

What is Visions of Mana?
You take the role of Val - a curious and carefree young man who lives in the Fire Village of Tianeea. Once every four years, the Faerie visits regions of the world to choose alms - people who are fated to travel to the Tree of Mana, which presides over the world's vital flow of mana. Val invites his childhood friend to a festival to welcome the visitor, but as the night falls, the sky lights up with sparkling lights and the Faerie chooses her as the alm. With the blessings of his village, Val sets out on a journey to accompany his friend to the Tree of Mana as her soul guard.

Hello everyone - my name is Kei Komaki, I am the producer and together with Yuichiro Kitao, Development Producer and Director we want to give fans and newcomers a deep dive into the development process of Star Ocean The Second Story R! This brand-new remake of the classic PlayStation-era RPG launches for PS5 & PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC (Windows) on November 2, and expands the original adventure with revamped mechanics, a rearranged soundtrack with new music, and a bold new 2.5D art style. The whole team has put their heart and soul into this epic adventure, so as the game launches, I thought I'd take you behind the scenes and explain how we approached the challenge of remaking such a beloved game.

The remaster takes off
The first thing you may be wondering is: why remake Star Ocean The Second Story at all? The simple answer is that the fans continually requested it. Even as we continued to develop new instalments in the series, such as 2022's Star Ocean The Divine Force, fans kept asking for the return of Star Ocean The Second Story. This year is the 25th anniversary of the game's original release, so naturally we started thinking about what we could do to mark the occasion. At the time, I was lucky enough to meet Yuichiro Kitao from Gemdrops, Inc., who would go on to work on the development. We discussed the project, and he quickly got on board with the idea of a remake.

Square Enix has released Forspoken Version Update Patch 1.22, making it the first game to officially support the AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3. In addition to FSR 3 support, the new Forspoken Version Update Patch 1.22 also adds the Native AA quality mode options and fixes some issues with save data between the main game and DLC.

According to the release notes, the update will not come to the PlayStation 5 version, and the Microsoft Store version will be updated as soon as the patch is approved. Surprisingly, Square Enix describes the AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 as technology that "combines temporal upscaling and frame generation to deliver significantly higher performance," and says that the frame generation is enabled separately from upscaling and is available when using AMD Radeon RX 5000 Series, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series, and Intel Arc 7 Series or newer GPUs. It is left to be seen if these will indeed work on Intel Arc series GPUs, as it was never officially confirmed by AMD.

The wait is over. GeForce NOW Ultimate members can experience Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty on GOG.com at full GeForce RTX 4080 quality, with support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 technology. It's part of an action-packed GFN Thursday, with 26 more games joining the cloud gaming platform's library, including Quake II from id Software. Take on a thrilling challenge with Phantom Liberty, an all-new adventure for Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there's only one person who can save her. Become V, a cyberpunk for hire, and dive into a tangled web of espionage and political intrigue, unraveling a story that connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries.

Ultimate members can return to the neon lights of Night City and experience the benefits of NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 and its new Ray Reconstruction technology. These updates enhance the quality of full ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077's Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode, as part of the game's 2.0 update available for the base game for free and included with the Phantom Liberty expansion. Upgrade to a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership today to see Night City at its best.

We know a lot of you are pretty excited to play Star Ocean: The Second Story R. After all, the original game is a true classic of the RPG genre and this new remake improves it even further! It adds a beautiful new 2.5D art style, a revamped combat system, a rearranged soundtrack, new illustrations and a galaxy's-worth of quality of life improvements. To cut a long story short, this crown jewel of the Star Ocean series now sparkles even brighter than before! The game releases on November 2, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4 and PC via Steam… but what if you want to play it earlier? Good news then because a free demo is available right now! Read on and we'll tell you all about it:

What's in the STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R demo?
The free demo lets you experience this interstellar adventure for three hours or until you make your way to the exit of Krosse Cave - whichever comes first. In that time, you'll get to see how the story gets underway as Pangalactic Federation officer Claude C. Kenny is transported to a mysterious location by an equally mysterious mechanism. Around that time, a local named Rena, is attacked by a monster in the Sacred Forest. Claude jumps into action and saves her, but his advanced technology means Rena mistakes him for a hero of myths from her homeland. She hopes he can save her nation, while he wants to find a way back home. Together, they set off for the village of Arlia… and an epic adventure begins.

Every STAR OCEAN fan has their favorite game in the series, but if you asked them all at once, we'd wager that one game in particular grabbed hearts and minds: STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY. Widely considered one of the crown jewels of the series, this beloved RPG is being completely remade for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4 and PC (Steam) as STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R.

Set to release November 2, 2023, It features a stunning new 2.5D visual style, a revamped battle system and quality of life improvements galore, while retaining everything that made that original adventure so beloved. If you've never played the original game, or even the STAR OCEAN series before, you are in for a true treat… and if you're a longtime fan, get ready to experience this classic adventure in a bold new way. Read on and we'll go into much more detail about what you can expect from the game.

Final Fantasy XVI fans, great news: while Final Fantasy XVI launches in just under two weeks, you'll be able to commence your journey to Valisthea tomorrow as the game's demo launches today (June 12). The demo will give PlayStation 5 players a taste of the game's vibrant world and fast-paced action combat with two lengthy sections showcasing what you can expect from FFXVI. The first is the game's opening prologue, approximately a two and half hour slice of gameplay giving players insight into Clive Rosfield's past and the events that set him on his present day journey. Save data from this portion can be carried over to the main game when it launches next week.

Completing the prologue then unlocks a special battle demo, approximately a two-hour, action-heavy segment. This features an infiltration of a fort at night, with Clive supported on his mission by his faithful wolf Torgal and Cidolfus Telamon. You'll encounter various enemies and epic bosses. While you won't be able to save your progress in this segment of the demo, it will let you test out the fuller range of combat options by way of numerous unlocked abilities and accessories. This can be replayed as many times as you'd like, giving players a head start on experiencing Clive's full-fledged action battles. Need a primer? Get an idea of what to expect here.

You've been wondering when you'll get your next look at FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH. That time is now! We've just released a new trailer for the game, and it offers a first glimpse at the gameplay and story of the highly anticipated new RPG. Not only that, we also revealed a fresh look at the upcoming mobile title FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS, including details of the upcoming closed beta test.

There's a lot to see in the new footage: A fully controllable Red XIII! Yuffie's part of the team! Massive-scale boss fights! Rideable chocobos! An expansive and beautiful world! You'll also get a glimpse at the gripping story, which sees Cloud Strife and his allies confronted by some shocking mysteries, along with some exciting ways for them to team up in combat. We think you'll agree it's a tantalizing taste of what you'll get to experience when the game releases. As for when that will be, we can tell you that FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH will launch in early 2024 digitally and physically for PS5.

Final Fantasy XVI is the all-new mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series, releasing on Thursday June 22. The launch trailer for Final Fantasy XVI, "Salvation," was revealed today as part of the PlayStation Showcase. With only around a month left until release, this outstanding trailer comes as we eagerly await the game!

The story of Final Fantasy XVI takes place in Valisthea, a land studded with Mothercrystals—glittering mountains of crystal that tower over the realms around them, blessing them with aether. People use the aether from the Mothercrystals to fuel the magicks they rely upon in their everyday lives, hailing Valisthea as "a land blessed in the light of the Mothercrystals." Yet now the aether begins to fade and the lifeless deadlands spread ever further. Such desperate conditions drive the nations towards conflict and strife.

Games journalists are delving into Final Fantasy XVI preview code at the moment, and Square Enix is firing up its publicity drive ahead of the game's launch on June 22. Game Informer has recently conducted an interview with members of "Creative Business Unit III," a very formal label for the development studio responsible put in charge of making a sixteenth entry in the mainline Final Fantasy series. FFXVI's director Hiroshi Takai and producer Naoki Yoshida fielded numerous questions for a feature-length cover story, and Game Informer has chosen to release several primer pieces - one article focuses on the studio's apparent cautious approach to creating (potential) DLC or extra campaigns for Final Fantasy XVI.

Takai and Yoshida state that the immediate focus is to simply get the game over the finishing line, and emphasize that there is already a sizable adventure contained within the base offering: "It's a one-off game. We're asking players to pay the full price for this experience, and so we want an experience that's going to equal the amount of money that players are going to be paying and we want them to have satisfaction equal to what they paid or even more than that." Previous Final Fantasy series installments have received a plethora of extra (paid and free) content, so plans could shift based on XVI's popularity and players' tastes - Yoshida states: "We have no idea if people are going to fall in love with Valisthea and fall in love with Clive's story and want to see more of the world and more of its characters...So while we always want to consider DLC or spinoffs or those types of things where you can learn more about the game, first we want to see if Valisthea and Clive are really things players around the world want to see more of and then make that decision."

Sony PlayStation and Square Enix are engaged in the process of hyping up blockbuster action role-player Final Fantasy XVI, set for a worldwide release on June 22, and have recently announced some visually striking accessories and interesting hardware bundles - as part of the promotional cycle and eventual release of the sixteenth (mainline) Final Fantasy game installment. Their Japanese marketing teams are collaborating on a custom design PlayStation 5 DualSense controller and console faceplate/cover bearing Final Fantasy XVI-based artwork. The controller's Midnight Black + gold accenting combo creates a very macho aesthetic, which stands in sharp contrast to some of the recent special edition Xbox controllers in terms of color and finish.

The special edition controller and console plate will be sold separately and are scheduled to launch alongside the game and related console bundles on June 22. These Final Fantasy XVI-themed accessories could be exclusive to the Japanese domestic market - Sony and Square Enix have issued information related to pricing in Yen (¥8980 & ¥7980 respectively), and their North American and European sites only make mention of the standard white PS5 console FFXVI bundle being available on the game's launch day.

The official NieR Series Twitter account declared a sales milestone this week, and showed a great appreciation for its fanbase: "You'll be delighted to hear more than 7.5 million copies of NieR: Automata have been sold or shipped to date. Thank you for your love and support!" PlatinumGames' action role-playing game has accumulated very decent numbers over a six year period - NieR: Automata first arrived on PlayStation 4 and PC back in March of 2017. Thanks to highly favorable reviews from the computer game press, and word of mouth spread throughout the gaming community, the unlikely spin-off (from the Drakengard series) has become an enduring classic. It also helps that NieR: Automata broke free from being a PS4 and PC timed exclusive, and later on found its way onto the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

It is probably safe to assume that NieR: Automata has made a return on its production budget, so talk naturally turns to the prospects of a hypothetical third entry in the series. PlatinumGames and the game's creator, Yoko Taro, have remained very tight-lipped about a possible continuation. The normally eccentric video game director took a more straightforward approach when sharing good news about his game's healthy sales figures: "It seems that 7.5 million copies have been sold. It's so awesome that it makes me dizzy. I can't exceed this number for the rest of my life…I can only thank everyone who supported me!" Taro has taken a more evasive stance when dealing with questions regarding a third Nier title.

At the turn of the 1980s, most PC adventure games were played using only the keyboard. In those days, adventure games didn't use action menus like more modern games, but simply presented the player with a command line where they could freely input text to decide the actions that characters would take and proceed through the story. Free text input systems like these allowed players to feel a great deal of freedom. However, they did come with one common source of frustration: players knowing what action they wanted to perform but being unable to do so because they could not find the right wording. This problem was caused by the limitations of PC performance and NLP technology of the time.

40 years have passed since then, and PC performance has drastically improved, as have the capabilities of NLP technology. Using "The Portopia Serial Murder Case" as a test case, we'd like to show you the capabilities of modern NLP and the impact it can have on adventure games, as well as deepen your understanding of NLP technologies.

In just over two months, players will finally get their hands on Final Fantasy XVI, the next mainline installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game follows Clive Rosfield as he harnesses powerful Eikons to overcome his tragic destiny. Today's State of Play not only explores intricate details of the story and world lore, but also gives a first glimpse into the game's party combat and colossal battles with new Eikons.

We hope today's broadcast was exciting for everyone, both for fans keeping up with Final Fantasy XVI updates, and those who are hearing about the game for the first time. Get a deeper look at combat, stunning Eikon battles, and the world of Valisthea before FFXVI arrives on PS5 June 22.

Free Update coming April 18th + 2023 Roadmap and Physical Release for PowerWash Simulator - The first few months of this year have been crazy. You've cleaned Croft Manor and de-mucked Midgar… wherever next?! Well, we'll take a look at what else is coming this year in a minute, but not before we've said a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to you all for the community support so far this year. It has been incredible seeing your reaction to the new content on socials and our Discord.

What's coming this year? 2023 Roadmap - Hop in the van, we're going on a road trip! Throughout 2023, we'll be taking you to places near and far in a range of Special Packs and updates that traverse Muckingham and beyond. Behold, our 2023 roadmap! With each free expansion, we'll be revealing more of Muckingham and its stories, whereas the paid Special Packs will transport you outside of the Muckingham universe to all sorts of new and exciting places.

Jack is back… and he's punching his way onto Steam! The action RPG is now available on the platform: here's everything you need to know about it. Many of you will be familiar with STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN's Jack Garland: expert swordsman, skilled white mage, destructive black mage, deadly dragoon, powerful pugilist… and that's not even half of it. We can now add one more achievement to his impressive resume: available on Steam! Yes, get ready for some chaotic FINAL FANTASY carnage! Read on and we'll tell you everything you need to know about the game and its Steam release.

What is STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN?
Some of you unfamiliar with the game may be wondering what this game is all about. Long story short, it's about action - brilliantly brutal, fast-paced action that tests your reactions and battle strategy in equal measure. Developed by KOEI TECMO GAMES (Nioh series), STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN is a dark and visceral action RPG that presents a bold take on the FINAL FANTASY series, while celebrating its amazing 35 year legacy! You play as Jack Garland, who along with his allies Ash, Jed, Neon and Sophia, sets off from the Kingdom of Cornelia to defeat Chaos. If you're a fan of the original FINAL FANTASY game, some of those names may be ringing a bell, but we'll let you discover what it all means.