Final Fantasy XI R finally cancelled after years in development

ByEloin Barahona Garcia Hours
|

Last Updated on: 23rd March 2021, 11:05 pm

The long running MMO, Final Fantasy XI, had a mobile version announced in 2016 to a certain degree of interest. The game had been released on PC, PS2, and Xbox 360 prior and had just stopped supporting the console versions prior to the announcement.

A mobile version of the game sounded like a good idea at the time, as Square Enix announced at the time that there would be no more major content updates to the PC version of the game. However, years went by and very little was said about the progress of the game’s development, aside from having the title of the game updated to “Final Fantasy XI R.”

A rumored screenshot of Final Fantasy XI R, featuring the created character and Shantotto.
Credit: Wccftech

READ MORE: Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Official Synopsis, Character Bios, and More Revealed

It wasn’t until March 23, 2021 that it was officially confirmed by many other gaming outlets that mobile developer Nexon announced the game’s cancellation. According to Japanese gaming site Gambiz, the cancellation comes about due to the lack of quality of the port when compared to the rest of the series.

This news may come as a disappointment to anyone who may have been interested in the long running MMORPG. Final Fantasy XI comes from an early period of MMO releases where the games were very much about learning things on your own.

Even with the many quality of life updates, Final Fantasy XI still shows its age with its menu based gameplay and lack of direction.

A placeholder UI overlay featuring the city of Windurst.
Credit: Final Fantasy Wiki

READ MORE: The best JRPGs for beginners – Where should you start?

The mobile title seemed to be much more accessible with streamlined controls and other changes to the core of the game. Despite this disappointing news, fans of the MMO still have plenty to be excited about, as last year it was revealed that new content was going to be added to the game.

The Voracious Resurgence was added in Fall of 2020, which features a new storyline for players to go through. As of February 2021, the storyline has received several updates and will continue receiving them through the year.