Final Fantasy 11 was the franchise’s first foray into the MMO space, and while it never quite took off to the same extent as Final Fantasy 14, it still held a special place for some. For roughly six years, a mobile version of the game has said to be in development from Nexon, who even stated it was still being worked on as early as a year ago. However, it was reported from anonymous sources at the end of 2020 that the game had finally been cancelled. Now, it seems that is official.

As reported originally by Gamebiz, Nexon stated in their most recent financial report that the mobile version of the game, originally commissioned in March of 2015, had quietly been canned. There isn’t many details given, only that it was not meeting expectations. The title’s development was halted at the end of last year, matching up with the rumors mentioned above, and then officially cancelled.

Final Fantasy 11 originally released for PS2 and PC, with a Xbox 360 version coming later. The servers for the PS2 and 360 editions have since been shut down, but the game remains running on PC.

While Final Fantasy 14 has become something of a crown jewel in Square Enix’s ongoing output, it wasn’t the first MMORPG to carry the storied FF name. That honor goes to Final Fantasy 11. Once originally released for PS2 and PC (and then eventually 360), it was something of an oddity. While it never reached the level of popularity of 14, it still managed to gain something of a following. It also seems as if one avenue of its continued life has, after a long journey, been cut off.

Way back in 2015, when the servers for the PS2 and 360 version of the game were being cut off, it was announced that a mobile version of the MMO was coming from Nexon. As I’m sure you know, it’s 2020 and we’ve yet to see this version, nor any footage from it. Unfortunately, a recent report from South Korean news outlet, MTN, has reported that the game has been quietly canceled, citing information from an insider. The team that was developing 11 has been moved on to other projects and the company in general has moved to other titles (thanks to Reddit user shdwlink87 for translating).

For now this goes under rumor considering neither Square nor Nexon have officially commented. However, outside a reassurance that the game was still coming earlier this year, there’s still been no word on the game, and considering it’s literally been half a decade since its original announcement, it’s not exactly hard to believe. Final Fantasy 11 does live on via PC, however, if you are curious about it or have played it in the past and want to jump back in. At this point, I wouldn’t be waiting for that mobile port.

One of those classics will be getting a remake very soon (or, well, the first part of a remake, at any rate), when Final Fantasy 7 Remake launches on April 10, and in the lead-up to that, we (and millions of others) have been looking back on the highs and lows of the series over the years. In this feature, we’ll be taking a look at all the mainline numbered Final Fantasy games, and ranking them from worst to best.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

#16. FINAL FANTASY 14 (ORIGINAL RELEASE)

Final Fantasy 14 came at a time when the series as a whole was perhaps in the worst shape of its life. Final Fantasy 13 had been come across as something of a disappointment in 2009, and the fact that FF14 was an MMORPG meant that quite a few automatically lost interest as well. It didn’t help that when the game launched, it was utter crap (to put it mildly). Thanks to being terribly unpolished, being ridden with performance issues, featuring an interface that was a nightmare to navigate, and core interaction, exploration, and combat mechanics that were an absolute chore, the original Final Fantasy 14 was perhaps the biggest misstep this series ever made. Of course, Square Enix did manage to turn things around, to the extent that Final Fantasy 14 as we know it today is probably one of the best games in the series- but we’ll get to that soon enough.

Final Fantasy 14 is quite the gaming story. Its launch version was an unmitigated disaster and went through one of the biggest overhauls we’ve ever seen for an ongoing game. It’s since become one of the most popular MMORPGs, and also one of the last truly active ones. But it wasn’t the first time the Final Fantasy franchise went online: that honor belongs to Final Fantasy 11. While it never quite reached the same height as 14, it had and still has a strong following. There’s been a mobile revival planned for some time that’s been quiet, but it’s apparently still alive.

Developer Neoxon had their most recent financial conference and talked about their upcoming line up of titles. In it they confirm the mobile reboot of FF11, which they are titling 11R, is still coming. We first heard about this version way back in 2015. It doesn’t, however, appear in their 2020 lineup pipeline, so it may not be soon if that’s anything to go by.

Final Fantasy 11 originally launched for PS2 and PC, with a Xbox 360 version that came afterward. The PS2 and 360 versions have had their server’s shut down. The PC version is still currently running with the last major update being in 2015.

C’thun – World of Warcraft (2006)

If you were bold enough to battle C’thun in World of Warcraft, then you were in for some pain. Introduced with patch 1.9 in 2006, C’thun was insanely tough, randomly swallowing select players and digesting them slowly. Such was C’thun’s power that he could insta-kill raid group members with a single beam attack. Even weakening him for short periods of time did little to affect his health. When Blizzard realized that C’thun was effectively unbalanced, it stepped in to nerf him. Those who were there, however, will remember his terror forever.

Square Eni’x Final Fantasy 11 is heading to mobile smartphones in 2016 courtesy of a publishing deal with Nexon. Eurogamer revealed that the PS2 and Xbox 360 servers for the game would be shut down on March 2016 though the PC version will remain alive.

There won’t be any new content in the future save for Rhapsodies of Vana’diel which releases in May and serves as the “ultimate compilation” of the player’s achievements till date. The first chapter will release in May with the second and third out in August and November respectively.

It’s interesting that Square Enix would opt to continue the game on mobiles, especially with Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn already available on consoles. Nonetheless, it’ll be an amazing option to have on the go. Stay tuned for more information on the same in the coming year.