14 DAY TRIAL // GRIN is no more as a development studio, following the less than stellar performance of titles like Bionic Commando, Wanted: Weapons of Fate or Terminator: Salvation.
But it seems that before its demise, the Sweden-based studio was collaborating with Square Enix on a new Final Fantasy-related videogame not connected to Final Fantasy XIII, which was released on December 17 in Japan, or to the upcoming MMO Final Fantasy XIV, which is taking beta applications from players.
Now, a few minutes of footage related to the project, codenamed Fortress, have surfaced on YouTube, showing off a bit of what GRIN might have been trying with the new concept.
From the limited footage, Fortress seems to be very much adapted to Western audiences, with no element that can be directly linked to the franchise other than the chocobo, which pops up at one point.
Apparently, the project was readied for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the PC and was set to take place shortly after the events depicted in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. It seems that Fotress was part of the strategy that Square Enix is implementing for creating content based on its Japanese franchises but which is calibrated to also appeal to Western audiences.
The YouTube user who is hosting the footage is saying that “The project has not been officially announced yet, but its existence is known due to information leaked by former members of the development team and sources in the video game industry. The Fortress project is still supported by Square Enix and in development at a currently undisclosed studio - possibly Eidos Montreal, Square Enix's main Western branch.” It's not clear whether the footage shown is still relevant to what the project is at the moment.
You can take a look at the tech demo-like footage below: