Square Enix is about to offer one of the biggest Square Enix experiences yet at PAX East 2020 with playable demos for titles such as FINAL FANTASY VII Remake and FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. Here’s the scoop.
Update 2/21/20 7:06pm Central: Due to lingering concerns regarding COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus, Square Enix has revealed that they will be withdrawing the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online team, but however, will still have a booth without the panel session and signing sessions. You can read the official statement down below.
“As the community may be aware, COVID-19 (also known as “novel coronavirus”) is spreading within the East Asia region. Taking into consideration the current situation within the region, sadly SQUARE ENIX has decided to cancel the PAX East attendance of staff who would be travelling from the Japan offices. This difficult decision was based on our desire to prevent any potential spread of the virus and to prioritize the health and safety of our team and our fans.
Since our team will not be in attendance, we are planning to scale down on our planned activities for FINAL FANTASY XIV:
Panel Session: The Artwork of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Look Behind the Screen
We will be cancelling the on-stage panel session due to the absence of the staff members who were scheduled to attend. However, we will be hosting a livestream live from Japan (in English & Japanese) that our fans can view on Saturday, February 29 at 8:00 PM ET on the FINAL FANTASY XIV Twitch channel.
Developer Signing Sessions & Photo Opp: We will be cancelling the signing sessions and photo opportunities, scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1.
Fan Gathering: We have also cancelled our planned PAX East fan gathering event, slated for Friday, February 28. We are looking forward to hosting future fan gatherings in North America and we’ll share more details on dates and locations in the future.Square Enix will still host the FINAL FANTASY XIV booth on the show floor (#15010), and we hope you’ll take part and enjoy the Ruby Weapon battle challenge, the New Player Experience, and photo opportunities.”
Original: Set to take place from February 27th through March 1st, Square Enix has revealed that they will be bringing their own experience to the upcoming event, which includes quite a bit going on during that time, including playable demo’s, session signings, and even first-hand looks at upcoming and previously announced titles.
During that time, fans can visit booths #12011 and #15010, where you can try out games including FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, and the recently announced OUTRIDERS ahead of their respective releases (note that FFXIV is now available on PC and PS4).
Square has revealed during the event, fans of FINAL FANTASY can meet up with the cast for the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE at Booth #12011 at the times seen below. During those periods, fans can get autographs by voice actors behind Tifa, Barret, Aerith, Jessie, and Biggs. Actors Britt Baron, John Eric Bentley, Briana White, Erica Lindbeck, and Gideon Emery will be available, in the respective order of characters previously mentioned, will be available for a limited number of tickets for the signing sessions starting at 10:30am EST each morning.
- Saturday, February 29: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Sunday, March 1 at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (EST).
Fans, while waiting, can also get a chance to get their photo snapped with Cloud’s iconic Hardy Daytona Motorcycle in the booth area as well, but they can also go hands-on with FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE at the booth. Fans will also be able to win special double-sided posters featuring newly released artwork of the cast of the game including Cloud, Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and Red XIII.
If you’re wanting to get some hands-on time with FINAL FANTASY XIV or just simply have a bit of fun, you can do so at booth #15010 and take on the Ruby Weapon battle challenge, the latest 8-player trial released with Patch 5.2. Those who beat it will receive an “I BEAT RUBY WEAPON” t-shirt at the event. You can check out the official listing of events going on for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online down below, including giveaways and plenty more.
- Photo Opportunity – Fans will have the chance to snap a photo in front of our expansive themed backdrop while posing with a selection of “real-life” weapons from Shadowbringers™.
- Poster Giveaway – PAX attendees who visit the FINAL FANTASY XIV booth can receive a double-sided poster featuring artwork of the jobs of FINAL FANTASY XIV drawn by Lead Character Concept Artist Yusuke Mogi, while supplies last.
- Developer Livestream – Join FINAL FANTASY XIV Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida and Lead Character Concept Artist Yusuke Mogi for a special livestream titled “The Artwork of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Look Behind the Screen.” The stream will be hosted on the official FINAL FANTASY XIV Twitch channel on Saturday, February 29 at 8:00 p.m (EST).
- Postcard Giveaway – Fans can receive a free postcard for the upcoming tactical mobile RPG, WAR OF THE VISIONS™ FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS®, featuring artwork of Y’shtola in her FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers attire. In addition, attendees who have pre-registered for the game can receive a double-sided art card. Both items will be available at the FINAL FANTASY XIV booth, while supplies last.
Those looking to try out the multi-gen release from developers People Can Fly can do so with Outriders during a panel that will introduce “A New Flavor of Sci-Fi: Creating the Universe of Outriders,” at the Albatross Theatre (February 29th, 2020, from 12:30-1:30pm EST) and will introduce fans to Lead Writer Joshua Rubin and key members of the team as they discuss the process it took to create their new and brutal Sci-Fi universe from scratch.
IF you’re aiming for collectibles from the Square Enix Store, the Square Enix Booth #12011 will have you covered where you can buy merchandise including BRI
Additionally, fans can visit the Square Enix Booth #12011 to purchase the latest SQUARE ENIX merchandise from BRING ARTS, PLAY ARTS KAI, plush toys, FINAL FANTASY Trading Card Game (FFTCG) and tabletop games. You can also check out some REALLY awesome brand-new shirts that will be there including an attendee exclusive FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers acrylic stand of their favorite characters ahead of the Square Enix Store release.
IF you want to give it a try, you can also try out the FINAL FANTASY TCG and even get a few promo cards while you’re at it.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native video game reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the borders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook where he interacts with his followers quite a bit!