Square Enix to relaunch Final Fantasy XIV

Publisher Square Enix is preparing to relaunch and remake its troubled Final Fantasy MMO.

Final Fantasy XIV on PC suffered a challenging launch, receiving a negative reception from critics and fans. Square Enix has yet to even charge a subscription fee for the game.

But now the publisher is readying an entirely new version, with a restructured development team set to unleash an all-new Final Fantasy XIV Version 2 for PS3 and PC during Q4 2012.

But before that, towards the end of November this year, Square Enix will start charging a fee for the Final Fantasy MMO, which has been upgraded significantly since its launch last year.

President Yoichi Wada admitted last month that the "Final Fantasy brand has been greatly damaged" because of the title. The PS3 version of the game was originally due to arrive in March last year but has since been delayed as a result of the criticism.

Wada said in a statement: "One year has passed since the game’s release, and despite the disappointment surrounding its launch, we have received a wealth of support from the players.

"In the ten months since the Final Fantasy XIV team’s restructuring, we have put forth the utmost effort into not only improving the game’s existing features, but also creating a concrete plan to outline the game’s new direction. Today, I am pleased to announce we can confidently present that plan to our customers. We fully realize this is but a single step towards our ultimate goal, and that to meet the high standards set in the plan, more time is required. In the meantime, however, we will not waver in our commitment to bringing players exciting and engaging content, even as the game moves through its evolution.

"With this, it is my hope that we will continue to receive your support as we will need to bring the unbilled period to a close between late November and early December 2011, and introduce our subscription-based billing system. I appreciate that this decision will not be popular, but it is a necessary step in building upon the foundation our fans and development team have made together and to realize the full potential of Final Fantasy XIV.

"The team will stop short of nothing as they move towards realizing the new Final Fantasy XIV."