In a recent statement, Square Enix said, “Despite all our efforts to bring you regular updates with fresh and exciting content, we haven’t been able to deliver the experience that we were hoping and that you all deserve. So we have made the extremely tough decision to end service for Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier.” Non-English languages see support ending on October 31st, 7 PM PT, after which only English text will be available.

Shinra Credits are no longer available to purchase in-game, but players can use any remaining Credits till the game shuts down. Updates will continue to roll out over the next few months, so existing players can expect new things to do.

Released on November 17th, 2021, for mobile devices, Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier is a prequel to the mainline series. Though essentially a third-person battle royale shooter, it also featured several Final Fantasy elements like Jobs (called Styles in-game), magic, Summons, and even monsters on the battlefield. It’s seen numerous updates and seasonal content since its launch, with Season 4 currently ongoing.

Square Enix recently announced that they will be hosting a commemorative broadcast for Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier and Final Fantasy 7. The announcement was first covered by Gamer, which is originally in Japanese (via Siliconera), and the broadcast will be held on January 31st, starting at 2 a.m. PT. The stream will be helmed by several developers from the team, including Tetsuya Nomura.

The broadcast is coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 7 in Japan, and will mostly focus on the development progress of the mobile game Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, along with diving into the memories of Final Fantasy 7, so it is recommended to temper your expectations accordingly. The stream will be available to watch on YouTube and the Japanese streaming platform NicoNico.

Story aside (because it’s throwaway as Dirge of Cerberus), Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier sees up to 75 players competing with one emerging as the victor. The twist is that along with guns, players can also utilize magic, melee weapons and summons like Ifrit to fight for them. Monsters also adorn the field and can be defeated to earn EXP and Gil.

This allows for leveling up one’s skills and increasing HP along with purchasing items and upgrading equipment. Multiple Styles (the title’s take on the Job system) also offers a variety of ways to play, whether it’s the Warrior’s front-line melee combat, the Sorcerer’s magic focus or the stealth of the Ninja. Pre-registration is currently live with rewards like a Chocobo Egg, Shinra Mask Skin, Shinra Bike Skin and more on offer depending on the number of players.

A new Style, Ninja, is revealed which focuses on mobility and stealth. It wields a large shuriken (not unlike that belonging to Yuffie) and can teleport to distant locations quickly. The Ninja can also go into stealth and attack unsuspecting foes. A number of other features and improvements were also announced like controller support (with the ability to plug one’s phone into a monitor) and a Training Mode for practicing with the different Styles and weapons.

The improved tutorial also outlines the controls and general gameplay for new players. The Collection feature is also being improved with players able to collect “pieces” and exchange them for items (which will be updated each season). Pre-registration starts in October so stay tuned for more details.

Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, the free-to-play battle royale received a short teaser trailer, and will be releasing later this year for iOS and Android. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius also received a new 5th-anniversary trailer, which showcased a bunch of legacy characters in this long-running franchise.

Lastly, a collaboration between War of the Visions and Final Fantasy titled War of the Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius also received a short teaser trailer. All three of these trailers might sound interesting to veteran fans of the series, making it worth a look.

As if Resident Evil Village’s launch special wasn’t enough, Square Enix will be hosting an official live stream for Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier on May 7th at 4:30 AM PST/8 PM JST. It will be available to watch on YouTube and Twitch (with the latter having English commentary). Dubbed “Official Live Stream #0”, it features the newest details on the battle royale title along with its first ever live gameplay.

Producer Shouichi Ishikawa and creative director Tetsuya Nomura are confirmed for the stream, though Nomura’s appearance is voice-only. Even if the title doesn’t interest core Final Fantasy 7 players, they may still want to tune in. New details on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will be provided near the broadcast’s end.

Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier is out this year for iOS and Android with beta tests planned before launch. Square Enix is also working on Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis for mobiles which adapts the entire Final Fantasy 7 saga into one game. It’s currently slated to launch in 2022. Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, which adds a new story episode focused on Yuffie Kisaragi, is out on June 10th for PS5.

Final Fantasy 7 fans have quite a bit to look forward to in the coming years between Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis and Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier. Creative director Tetsuya Nomura provided new details on Ever Crisis when speaking to Famitsu, like how all of its chapters would be free. Gematsu’s translation has revealed even more including what new content can be expected.

First up, there will be special weapons that have original costume sets, which probably ties into the game’s gacha system. While Final Fantasy 7’s story takes place over 10 chapters, the escape from Midgar will be in Chapter 3. The First Soldier will also have an original episode as characters, including Shinra officers, make an appearance in younger form.

“Special” dungeons and battles will be available as well but these exist outside of the story. This means that players can create a dream team of sorts and fight against tougher foes. Sephiroth and Cloud on the same team perhaps? It could happen. Fans can also expect music to be arranged based on the original release. Nomura also acknowledged “requests to play each title [in the Final Fantasy 7 compilation] on consoles.” However, he said that, “Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is not meant to be a substitute for that, but it is designed with the concept to allow anyone to freely embrace the world of each title of Final Fantasy 7.”

Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is in development for iOS and Android, and set to release in 2022. Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier is out for the same platforms this year with a closed beta planned.

Along with revealing new details on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, creative director Tetsuya Nomura also talked more about the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 mobile titles. In an interview with Famitsu (translation by Nibellion), he confirmed that Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis – which remakes the entire compilation – would have free story chapters. There will also be content not present in the original release, though for which property isn’t clear.

Furthermore, you can expect to tackle the story of Final Fantasy 7 across 10 chapters in Ever Crisis. The catch is that a gacha system will be present for weapons (which likely means having to roll for higher rarities, both with in-game and premium currency). It will also “tackle” the story of Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, the upcoming battle royale title.

Nomura spoke a bit more about The First Soldier and noted that it was an “attempt” to reach audiences that weren’t close with the Final Fantasy brand. Currently, it’s aiming to provide a “solid experience” and “amazing visuals” for smartphone users. Summons and melee combos have already been confirmed but there will also be a Job system with different skills.

Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis is slated to release next year while Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier is out this year. Both titles will be coming to iOS and Android.

https://twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1372175892856836096

https://twitter.com/Nibellion/status/1372176719038328836

It’s raining Final Fantasy 7 announcements for series’ fans. Along with Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade for the PlayStation 5 and Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis for mobiles, Square Enix also unveiled Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier. It’s another mobile title but releases this year for iOS and Android. Check out the first trailer below.

As a battle royale title – yes, seriously – Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier is set 30 years before the events of Final Fantasy 7. It sees Shinra beginning to form SOLDER and having an all-out free for all between potential candidates. As one of those candidates, you must survive, venturing through Midgar and eliminating the opposition.

Third person and first person views are available along with your standard firearms. However, players can also abilities like magical barriers and even get in close for melee combos. You can even have summons like Ifrit on the battlefield, fighting alongside you, and battle PvE foes (including the dreaded Scorpion Sentinel). Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.