Final Fantasy XIV Beta Coming on March 11

Square Enix is saying that it plans to launch the Final Fantasy XIV MMO beta stage on March 11, with players who are interested in taking part being initially limited to working on the good old PC.

The beta stage will be closed at this time and the number of players who get access will be small according to the developers but it's pretty interesting to see Square Enix actually launching a beta phase for the next product in the franchise just as Final Fantasy XIII is being released in Western markets.

A statement coming from Square Enix says that “Those who were not selected in this drawing, fear not, for there will be other opportunities to come.” The publisher initially took applications for the beta back in December but it’s not clear whether all those who have applied will have access to it. Although the beta is set to start on the PC, it might also move to gaming consoles.

Final Fantasy XIV will be a MMO-like Final Fantasy XI but will not have the same system of advancement based on experience and skill points. The appearance of players will change in the game depending on the acts they perform and crafting and fighting will make players better at those tasks while allowing them to perform any other action they are interested in. The game world will be called Hydaelyn with the main region being named Eorzea.

Final Fantasy XIII will be launched on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and on the PlayStation 3 from Sony on March 9 on all Western markets. The title has been out since December 2009 in Japan and although it sold well, it has not reached the same level of popularity enjoyed by Final Fantasy VII. A lot of reviewers complained about the mostly linear nature of the experience and the rather lackluster first few hours of the game.