Do you love Final Fantasy and great video game music? As a special bonus and collaboration for fans, we're giving away tickets for two concerts in Germany with pianist Benyamin Nuss. You and a friend could attend the "Nuss plays Uematsu, Hamauzu and more" concert in the Eventhalle am Westpark, Ingolstadt on Saturday, July 15 or the in the Laeiszhalle, Hamburg on Sunday July 16. There is also the chance for a Meet & Greet with the pianist. Benyamin Nuss is not only a great pianist, but also an avid gamer and Final Fantasy fan. Together with his mentors Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamazu he contributed to the World of Final Fantasy soundtrack and the A New World: intimate music from Final Fantasy concert series. During the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2017 in Frankfurt Benyamin performed together with songstress Susan Calloway on stage. The full program for the concert still has yet to be revealed, but Benyamin Nuss teased that "Tera's Theme" and "Serpent Trench" (Final Fantasy VI), "Those Who Fight" and "Gold Saucer" (Final Fantasy VII), "Where I Belong", "Liberi Fatali" (Final Fantasy VIII), "The Promise" (Final Fantasy XIII), "Heroes" (Final Fantasy XIV) and three tracks from Lost Odyssey will be played during the festivities. Sweepstakes Details: Prize: Two

With Final Fantasy XIV's second major expansion on the horizon, it's natural we still have plenty of questions. After all, the undertaking is proving to be absolutely massive with each reveal - as to be expected with two new jobs, new locations, battle system updates and more. With Heavensward wrapped up it's time to look toward the game's future and all the improvements it's looking to bring along for the ride. We had the chance to catch up with Naoki Yoshida during a media round-table and presentation in Hamburg, Germany. What were the reasons behind the upcoming boost items? Will we ever see Final Fantasy XIV on Switch and will Yoshi-P be a boss enemy in the game one day? The producer/director tells all in our full interview. —Stormblood features the new job classes Red Mage and Samurai. Will we get more iconic job classes like Blue Mage or Illusionist in the future? Naoki Yoshida: We have yet to release the Stormblood expansion and for the last two years we have always asked what kind of jobs we should include in the next expansion. Finally we are able to tell you that it’s going to be Red Mage and Samurai and that you

Starting today and continuing through Sunday, May 7th, anyone with a Final Fantasy XIV service account will be able to log in and play regardless of subscription status. Yep, the Free Login Campaign is back. If you partake in the free event, you'll have 96 hours (4 days) from your first log-in to play FFXIV as you wish. If you're completely new to FFXIV, you're also in luck, as Square Enix recently changed the game's trial so that you may play up to Level 35 free with no time limit. There are certain restrictions to trial accounts however, mostly to deter RMT (real money trader) activity. You can also check out a trove of new official images of the upcoming Stormblood expansion (due out June 20) here. Final Fantasy XIV is now available on Windows PC, PlayStation 3 (support ends in June,) PlayStation 4, and Mac.

Following up the first day of Final Fantasy XIV's final leg of Fan Festival activities in Frankfurt, producer/director Naoki Yoshida had a chance to sit down for a special Stormblood-themed round-table conference. Nova Crystallis along with select press from around the world were in attendance for a chat discussing different aspects of the upcoming expansion - including locations and the newly revealed Samurai job class. Yoshida: Thank you for staying so late for this. Last October we began our group of Fan Festivals in Las Vegas, and then Tokyo and now our final one here in Frankfurt. With each Fan Fest, we use it to reveal new information about Stormblood. While there are still new things to reveal, we feel like we’ve given you a good idea of what Stormblood will entail. I know you have a lot of questions, and there may be some things I can’t answer but I’ll try to answer as many as I can in the time we have. I’ve been standing all day in these so I’m going to sit down. —After this third event, what experience have you gotten from meeting fans from different places? Yoshida: Having these festivals is for the fans, but it's for the development

In the past, queueing up for new exclusive merchandise at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival could be as tough as an Extreme raid. I remember seeing large crowds waiting hours to snag a Delivery Moogle plush in London. The queues for the Fan Festival store have been a huge problem and after making adjustments following events in Las Vegas and Tokyo, Square Enix has finally listened to fans. Today, the company opened an exclusive Fan Festival 2017 pre-purchase for new merchandise goods - some showing up for the first time ever. An exclusive code was sent out to event ticket holders via e-mail, allowing them to select and pay for the items in advance before picking them up during the Fan Festival. The code can only be used for one transaction before it expires. Here is a closer look at the goods premiering at the show: Nanamo Mascot Figure - Allows limited posing due to articulated head and hands, about 8,5cm tall - 39€ Baby Behemoth Plush - About 34cm long, this little buy comes with a bonus code for the game, unlocking the baby behemoth as a dedicated housing item - 34€ Final Fantasy XIV Musicians of Eorzea Hoodie - Vintage white hoodie featuring an

According to the Japanese Twitter account of the Trademark Bot, Square Enix has registered a new trademark named "Stormblood". 商標:STORMBLOOD / 出願人:株式会社スクウェア・エニックス / 出願日:2016年8月30日 / 区分:9(装飾用磁石ほか),16(事務用又は家庭用ののり及び接着剤ほか),28(遊園地用機械器具並びにその部品及び附属品ほか),41(技芸… — 商標速報bot (@trademark_bot) 19. September 2016 No logo was attached to the trademark registration and it is currently unknown whether this title is a new game or an expansion for an existing game such as Final Fantasy XIV. Via Gamefront.de

You don't need to wait until next year to experience a newly designed Final Fantasy concert event. Dreams of Zanarkand is a Final Fantasy X-themed concert, which features completely new arrangements by Masashi Hamauzu and Tsutomu Narita for the WDR Rundfunkorchester. The concert takes place at the Kölner Philharmonie in Cologne, Germany at 20:00 on October 8th, 2016. Comedian, gamer and moderator Maxi Gstettenbauer will lead through the evening. Besides "Zanarkand" and many more tracks, the audience can expect "Guadosalam" and "Assault" to be played, as Nuss mentioned towards Nova Crystallis. Composer Masashi Hamauzu worked together with pianist Nuss for several years now. Previously, Nuss played for Hamauzu’s solo CD projects Klavierwerke, Opus 4 and Pianoschlacht live. Benyamin Nuss also contributed to Hamauzu's soundtrack for World of Final Fantasy. Tickets are available via German website Kölnticket.de. The German radio channel WDR 4 will play the concert on November 12th 2016, from 20.05 - 22.00 for those, who missed the live performance. Kölnticket.de - Final Fantasy X

After our brief video introduction at Japan Expo, Square Enix UK now released a very detailed video tutorial, which explains you how to play the Final Fantasy Trading Card game. The game's creator Mr. Kageyama and Fabian Weber explain the basic setup, different card types and how play each turn. A second video will follow at a later date, showcasing deeper mechanics of the game. https://youtu.be/5o48wiUXxGw The Final Fantasy Trading Card game will be released in Mid-October 2016, following the pre-sales at the end of September. The sale starts in major European countries with English, German, French and Spanish supported at launch. An Italian version of the game will be added a bit later. A release in North America has not been announced yet, but is likely in the near future.

The famous Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy concert series returns to Europe in 2017. Today the first six locations have been announced, starting with Madrid, Spain on April 29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o3deB2sLyA Arnie Roth once again conducts the Distant Worlds Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, playing music from Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, and more. Here is the full list of the concert dates and locations: April 29, 2017 - Palacio Vistalegre - Madrid, Spain April 30, 2017 - Auditori Forum - Barcelona, Spain May 4, 2017  - Heineken Music Hall - Amsterdam, Netherlands May 6, 2017 - Mitsubishi Electric Halle - Düsseldorf, Germany May 12, 2017 - Teatro Linear Ciak - Milan, Italy May 13, 2017 - Hallenstadion - Zürich, Switzerland Tickets will go on sale starting next week, Thursday, September 22, 2016. Is your city not on the list? Fear not, since more dates will be announced soon. MGPLive.com - Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds - MGP Live

Last year, Square Enix surprised the world with a special announcement at E3 - a little-known game called NieR would be getting a sequel. The original 2010 release failed to live up to critical and sales expectations alike, spelling doom for the now cult classic RPG. For as much love as it received in smaller circles, many fans believed a sequel nigh impossible. That is, until now. Square Enix revealed a surprise partnership with Platinum Games who are bringing their action game specialties to the plate. Married with Taro Yoko's world building and story-telling it's bound to be a treat. We recently had a chance to sit down with Yosuke Saito, NieR series producer as well as storied composer Keiichi Okabe, known for his work on the original NieR and Tekken franchise. During the interview we discuss the world of NieR: Automata, teaming up with Platinum Games and some of the concepts behind the unexpected sequel. Nova Crystallis: Can you tell us more about the central aspect of “agaki” (struggle against odds) and how it is reflected by the game’s story, setting and gameplay? Yosuke Saito: The way you would interpret the story may vary from person to person. It’s not an agaki per