When a developer apologizes for a game and restructures the entire team to fix it, you know something must have gone wrong. Such is the case of Final Fantasy XIV, which received serious criticisms and made for a contrite Square Enix last year. The game has still been quietly running, and now Square is seeking to reward loyalty and tempt back lapsed players.

Read more: Chocobo mount, ten free days for lapsed players »

The free ride ends next year. Final Fantasy XIV has seen more than its share of problems; the beleaguered MMORPG from Square Enix had its subscription plans suspended as the game received tweaks to make it more playable. With a new roadmap to version 2.0 in place, the company is finally ready to reinstate subscriptions.

Subscription service will begin January 6th. However, any current players that don't opt-in for the change won't be automatically charged. Instead, your service will simply end on January 5th.

Read more: Discounted subscriptions for 2012 »

After a launch that Square Enix acknowledges was a disaster, Final Fantasy XIV is getting a Version 2.0 update that promises to look and play significantly better than before. On top of that, the company now says it's considering connectivity with other devices like the PlayStation Vita.

Read more: Proposed application features »

Square Enix's beleaguered MMO, Final Fantasy XIV, is finally shaping up for re-release more than one year since its original debut. Reception to the online game was so negative that Square Enix had to restructure the development team and cease collecting any subscription fees. The company's CEO, Yoichi Wada, went on record to say that the game was so toxic, it had "greatly damaged" the entire Final Fantasy brand.

Since the company's admission that Final Fantasy XIV had released in an unpolished, unfinished state, Square Enix has been drastically reworking the game. Today, Wada says he is "confident that we can provide a service worthy of the Final Fantasy name."

Read more: Details on Final Fantasy XIV-2.0 »

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan on Friday, and its resulting tremors and tsunami, have resulted in a temporary shut down for the Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV servers.

The word came from Square Enix's Lodestone site over the weekend, announcing that the servers would be shut down due to Japanese power companies requesting energy conservation. It's currently planned for a week, starting from yesterday. Square's PlayOnline servers are also unavailable, including the Friends List, password recovery, and account cancellation. Read more »

Cyberpunk fans waiting cautiously for Deus Ex: Human Revolution will have to wait a little longer, as publisher Square Enix today told investors that it's been delayed.

Eidos Montreal's sequel to Ion Storm's beloved RPG was due to launch in the current fiscal year--which ends on March 31, 2011--but has been pushed into somewhere in the next fiscal year, which runs April 2011 to March 2012, to allow for "further polish." Read more »

Square Enix has announced that the PS3 version of its latest stab at an online-only Final Fantasy title has hit another bump in the road and the team behind the game will see some management changes.

In a post on the game's official site, the publisher revealed that the PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIV has been pushed from its March 2011 release until an undisclosed time. Previously, the PS3 version of the game was scheduled to arrive in September but was pushed to 2011, in part due to memory restrictions. Read more »

Square Enix has published a massive list of changes and fixes coming to its newest MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. The updates are split into two categories, with one group of fixes scheduled to go live in November and December, while other changes are queued up for the first update in 2011.

While the full list isn't very detailed, it certainly covers a lot of fixes, adjustments, and new content. I'm not surprised, however, as it has unfortunately become commonplace to launch MMORPG titles before they are truly ready for release. Read more »

Square Enix has decided to extend the free trial of its new MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV for an additional 30 days, due to "the nature of much of the feedback we received... and the current state of the game."

"All users who registered a Final Fantasy XIV service account and purchased a character by October 25, 2010 will be eligible," for the additional 30 days of free play. Read more »

Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

Another day at Tokyo Game Show 2010 and another packed Daily Filter. Today we've added new screens and video for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, NBA Elite 11, GoldenEye 007 Wii, ArmA 2: Operation Arrowhead, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, 4Story, Phantasy Star Portable 2, Spare Parts, Vanquish, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XI: Scars of Abyssea, The 3rd Birthday, Front Mission Evolved, Monster Jam: Path of Destruction, and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together.

Read more: Daily Filter »

During its media briefing at TGS 2010, Sony continued to shift its focus on 3D gaming; a feature it has been pushing since adding 3D support to all PS3s in June.

The console maker revealed 3D Blu-ray movie support would be added to the system's feature-set when it launches firmware 3.50 on September 21. According to the PlayStation Blog, the feature will be available worldwide simultaneously. Read more »

During EA's early morning TGS 2010 media briefing, the publisher featured a new CG trailer and screens for Alice: Madness Returns, the sequel to the 2000 PC and Mac cult-classic.

As expected, the trailer features the title character Alice struggling with demons; both metaphorically and literally.

Read more »

Having unexpectedly postponed the PC open beta test of its MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV yesterday, Square Enix has announced that the beta will begin tonight--one day late.

Open beta testing was due to begin yesterday but was delayed indefinitely after what Square Enix called "a confirmation of critical bugs." Today, the unspecified "critical issue" has been investigated and corrected so the open beta launch can go ahead. Read more »

Although Square Enix was on pace to open the flood gates for users to participate in an open beta for its upcoming MMO today, the company has announced the test has been put on hold.

On its official site, Square Enix revealed the Final Fantasy XIV open beta would be postponed until a later, undisclosed date. According to the publisher, the open beta delay is due to "a confirmation of critical bugs." Read more »

Although previous tests were open to a select few, Square Enix has revealed an open beta for Final Fantasy XIV will launch tomorrow. Beginning Tuesday, August 31 at 7 p.m. (PDT), Square Enix will open the beta flood gates to potential Final Fantasy XIV quest seekers.

Beta servers will be live for 24 hours a day; however, only a limited number of players will be able to log into the game at one time. Over time, the number of online users will be increased as the company gradually tests its server load [via FFXIV Core]. Turned away players will be placed on a waiting list to join in the fun at another time. Read more »