Square Plans Downloadable Final Fantasy XI Expansions for 2009

Square Enix has announced plans to release three new downloadable expansions for Final Fantasy XI.

The MMO's 500,000 subscribers will be treated to three scenarios designed by Masato Kato, story and scenario writer for the original Final Fantasy XI and its first expansion, Rise of the Zilart.

The expansions will be released simultaneously across the PS2, PC and Xbox 360 platforms via the PlayOnline Viewer. The first download--titled "A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing"--is expected to arrive in spring of 2009, with the others to arrive in succession over the following months.

Story details for each expansion follow:

A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing

One day, a giant crystal appeared in the skies above Jeuno, triggering a series of unexplained happenings across the land. Now, adventurers will set forth to unravel the mysteries of this primordial crystal that holds the secret of Vana'diel's past.

A Moogle Kupo d'Etat - Evil in Small Doses

It all started with an innocent drop of rainwater and a rickety, ramshackle Mog House desperately in need of repairs. Little did anyone suspect that this was only the beginning of a harrowing nightmare unheard of in the annals of moogle-kind.

A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born

The eccentric Professor Shantotto returned to Windurst one day after a mysterious, unexplained absence, shocking her colleagues with behavior so outrageous it put her old self to shame! When she goes so far as to proclaim herself ruler of her own empire, adventurers set out to discover the truth behind her alarming shift in personality.