If you were looking forward to the Final Fantasy XI R mobile MMO, it looks like you'll be disappointed as a new report by Social Game Info (via Kotaku) shows the MMO has been canceled.
Initially dubbed an MMMRPG, or Massively Multiplayer Mobile RPG, Square Enix was creating Final Fantasy XI R in conjunction with Nexon. However, details have been scant since its initial announcement backin 2015. Unfortunately for anyone looking to take Final Fantasy XI on the go, the developers have reportedly moved on to greener pastures.
In a Q4 earnings conference call Q&A, Owen Mahoney, the CEO of Nexon, stated that the company and Square Enix have both decided to move on from the Final Fantasy mobile project, citing that the project wasn't showing "the level of creative differentiation" needed to really give what they felt their fans would be looking for.
"NEXON and Square Enix have made the mutual decision that our work on Final Fantasy was not showing the level of creative differentiation that we think our players expect from the Final Fantasy franchise. So, rather than releasing a game that did not break new creative ground, we have agreed to halt the project and redeploy our creative teams on the other projects. We think this reflects us taking a very hard look at every project we do and focusing on the things that we believe in, which includes in large part NEXON's own intellectual property, which we think is very powerful. When you go through the creative process, sometimes you can get the core of the fun, and sometimes you are not able to get there."
Originally announced for Japan and South Korea, Final Fantasy XI R was meant to be a mobile version of the long-running Square Enix MMO, FFXI. CEO Mahoney did make it clear that Nexon still has a good working relationship with Square Enix, and states the move was done to "protect the value of their IP and to focus [Nexon's] resources on what [they] think were higher and better uses."
