Final Fantasy XIV dated

Square Enix has announced that the PC Collector’s Edition version of MMO Final Fantasy XIV will be released in Europe on September 22nd. The standard SKU will hit retail on September 30th.

The PS3 version of the game will not be released until March 2011, with pricing to be announced at a later date.

The PC Collector’s Edition includes a behind-the-scenes DVD, a special branded security token, a FFXIV branded tumbler, map, a travel journal including concept art, the Onion Helm in-game item, a 30-day free trial period for the game and a pass that allows a guest to play for free for a limited time.

The monthly subscription fee will be 8.99 (€12.99) with additional characters available for 2.10 (€3.00) a month. A maximum of eight characters can be registered on any one account.

Each account is eligible for one free retainer (a non-playable character that maintains item sales and storage when users are logged out) with each additional retainer costing 0.70 (€1.00).

A beta version of the PC game will go live some time in early July. It will become available to pre-order with key retailers at some point today. Those who pre-order will receive another in-game freebie – a pair of Garlond Goggles that increases the speed at which characters progress.

Those who register their FFXIII Campaign Codes will receive the Asuran Armguards DLC, an extra that improves the effectiveness of tools.

This September, players around the world will join together to explore the fascinating and exciting realm of Eorzea,” the game’s executive producer Hiromichi Tanaka stated.

We’re presenting players with a new style of online gameplay, that we know will please avid fans of online games, but welcome more casual gamers as well with the variety of gameplay and story-driven content.”

The specs for the PC version are as follows: Windows XP/Vista/7, Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2GHz, 2GB of RAM, 15GB HDD space, NVIDIA GeForce 9600 512MB or ATI Radeon HD 2900 512MB and DirectX 9.