Square Enix has decided to pull the plug on a mobile port of its massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game Final Fantasy XI Online for mobile devices after over five years of development.
Final Fantasy XI Online was released for the PS2 and Windows PCs back in 2002, followed by an Xbox 360 version in 2003. Support for both console versions ended in March 2016, but by then a mobile version was already in development under the name Final Fantasy XI R, with Korean developer Nexon handling the port. Nexon specializes in online games for both PC and mobile platforms, and runs more than 80 titles.
However, as Siliconera reports, development did not run smoothly and ultimately the game has been canceled, albeit quietly. Updates regarding development stopped a couple of years ago and little has been heard since. Now it’s been revealed Square Enix halted development in December last year, with Nexon confirming the project was officially closed down last month. No clear reason has been given as to why beyond a suggestion development didn’t run smoothly.
Square Enix probably isn’t too concerned about the mobile port. The PC version continues to receive regular updates and has an active player base. The much more recent Final Fantasy XIV also goes from strength-to-strength and recently made it on to PCMag’s Best PC MMO list for 2021.
