Square Enix, the developer and publisher of the Final Fantasy MMO, is saying that it plans to offer the first expansion for the game, which is called A Crystalline Prophecy, on Monday, March 23, for purchase. The actual release date for the new content will not come until April, when Square Enix is set to also offer a big update for Final Fantasy XI.

The complete name of the mini expansion is set to be A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing and the players interested in it will be able to get it by using the Play Online Viewer application, which is used to manage all the versions of Final Fantasy XI. The game should cost 9.99 Euro. Square Enix is saying that there are two other expansions set to be released for the MMO, called A Moogle Kupo d'Etat - Evil in Small Doses and A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born, all of them coming in 2009.

For A Crystalline Prophecy - Ode of Life Bestowing, Square Enix is creating a story that revolves around the appearance of a huge crystal entity in the skies of the MMO. Players will have to investigate the unusual phenomenon and unveil its mysteries.

Square Enix is saying that Final Fantasy XI still has a strong player base, with more than 500,000 active accounts and more than 1 million characters involved in the action, which is quite impressive considering that the MMO was released in 2002. The company is surely hoping that these numbers will increase as 2009 unfolds and the extra content from the three mini expansions is released.

Square Enix is also stating that, at this year's E3 trade show, it will unveil a new MMO project. It's not known whether it will be connected to the Final Fantasy franchise but it's quite clear that it will not take the place of Final Fantasy XI.