Square Enix reveals E3 2016 lineup
Highly Anticipated Blockbusters FINAL FANTASY XV and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Lead a Powerful Lineup – Company Celebrates 20 Years of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft
LOS ANGELES (14th June 2016) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in Europe and PAL territories, shows off its highly anticipated line-up at its booth at #2001 in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The E3 2016 line-up includes FINAL FANTASY® XIV: Heavensward™, the critically-acclaimed MMO with over five million registered accounts globally, FINAL FANTASY XV, the 15th mainline entry in the FINAL FANTASY franchise; Deus Ex: Mankind Divided®, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex: Human Revolution®; iconic Square Enix brands including HITMAN™ and KINGDOM HEARTS along with projects from Square Enix Collective™, a platform that aims to help independent developers.
Additionally, Crystal Dynamics® and Square Enix will continue the 20-year celebration of the Tomb Raider® franchise and the iconic Lara Croft® with a variety of activities at the show and online. Programs include custom engraved dog tags with the 20-year logo at the Square Enix booth, and a show on “Square Enix Presents” that takes a nostalgic look at fan-favourite tombs from the past two decades.
“Some of Square Enix’s most acclaimed franchises – FINAL FANTASY, Deus Ex®, KINGDOM HEARTS and HITMAN — are making a major impact at the industry’s biggest annual event,” said Yosuke Matsuda, president and representative director of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. “We lead the industry in innovation with our gameplay technology and distribution solutions, which show in our E3 presence. With tent pole releases later in the year, E3 should provide a solid preview of our 2016 success.”
Square Enix will also host its perennial live online broadcast, “Square Enix Presents,” directly from its booth. Fans at home and across the world can get an exclusive look at titles in the E3 line-up and a chance to interact with creators throughout the show. For a full schedule, visit: www.youtube.com/squareenixpresents
TITLE DETAILS (by alphabetical order):
DEUS EX GO™
Pla tform: Phones & Tablets
Developer: Square Enix Montréal (a Square Enix studio)
Available: Summer
Deus Ex GO is a turn-based infiltration puzzle game set in a stylized interpretation of the Deus Ex Universe®. As double agent Adam Jensen, you’ll use hacking, combat, and augmentations to solve the most challenging puzzles of the entire GO series. Work alongside your allies in TF29 and the Juggernaut Collective as you infiltrate locations to unravel the conspiracy behind a terrorist plot.
DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED
Platform: PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC
Developer: Eidos-Montréal (a Square Enix studio)
Available: 23 August 2016
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex: Human Revolution®, builds on the franchise’s trademark choice and consequence, action RPG based gameplay, to create both a memorable and highly immersive experience. Players will once again take on the role of Adam Jensen, now an experienced covert agent, and will gain access to his new arsenal of customizable state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations. With time working against him, Adam must choose the right approach, along with whom to trust, in order to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy. The game also includes Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Breach, a new and innovative game mode. This new take on the game offers, for the very first time, an arcade approach on the gameplay ofDeus Ex: Mankind Divided, providing players with a unique puzzle shooter experience
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS™
Platform: PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system (digital only)
Developer: Square Enix
Available: 14 October 2016
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS provides players the ability to build a variety of unique tools from materials you gather, and rebuild towns and cities to restore life to the shattered world of Alefgard. Players will battle with famous monsters from the DRAGON QUEST® series and interact with gorgeously designed 3D characters. The immersive DRAGON QUEST story and world to explore, combined with the freedom of sandbox gameplay, provides a new and exciting, family-friendly experience, with an intuitive control system will have you building the towers and castles of your dreams in no time.
FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS®
Platform: iOS, Android
Developer: Square Enix / gumi Inc.
Available: Summer 2016
FINAL FANTASY BRAVE EXVIUS is a brand new turn-based FINAL FANTASY adventure made for mobile devices and aimed at a worldwide audience. Using classic battle systems with a simplified mobile interface and a throwback pixel art style fused with rich 3D graphics, players take on the role of two brave warriors as their fantasy-filled world of Lapis begins falling to its own destruction. Well-known FINAL FANTASY characters also appear in this game. The free-to-play mobile title has been downloaded over six million times in Japan and will arrive on Western shores this summer.
FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE
Platform PlayStation®4 system
Developer Square Enix
Available: 2017
FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE improves upon the 2006 classic FINAL FANTASY XII, now more beautiful and easier to play than ever. The HD remaster introduces several modern advancements, including reconstructed battle design and a revamped job system. With newly implemented trophies and share functions, as well as stark visual and sound improvements, players both returning and new to the game will experience a grand adventure that spans world of Ivalice in an entirely new and improved way.
FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward
Platform: PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®4 system, Windows PC, Mac
Developer: Square Enix
Available: Now
Attendees can face off against one of the new bosses in FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward, “Sephirot,” in the Primal Battle Challenge to win an exclusive “I BEAT SEPHIROT” T-shirt. Additionally, they can get a free giant tote bag featuring FINAL FANTASY XIV illustrations at the booth, and are invited to ride and take photos with a 6 foot tall fat chocobo® statue in the South Hall lobby. With over five million registered accounts globally, Heavensward expands the critically-acclaimed MMO FINAL FANTASY XIV, featuring an increased level cap and storyline surrounding the Holy See of Ishgard and the thousand-year Dragonsong War. Heavensward continues to update content for players, with the recent release of Patch 3.3, Revenge of the Horde, concluding the story of the Dragonsong War, and featuring new dungeons, a new alliance raid and more.
FINAL FANTASY XV
Platform: Xbox One, PlayStation®4 system
Developer: Square Enix
Available: 30 September 2016
FINAL FANTASY XV is the highly anticipated action RPG serving as the 15th installment in the landmark series. The game tells the engaging tale of Crown Prince Noctis and his comrades, out on the road and fending for their lives after the armed forces of Niflheim launch a surprise assault upon the Kingdom of Lucis. Featuring an open-world environment, a captivating cast of characters, breathtaking visuals and real-time combat, FINAL FANTASY XV is the ultimate experience for series veterans and newcomers alike. The game’s universe is expanded with KINGSGLAIVE: FINAL FANTASY XV from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) featuring the voices of Aaron Paul, Lena Headey and Sean Bean, along with an anime series titled BROTHERHOOD FINAL FANTASY XV.
I AM SETSUNA™
Platform: PlayStation®4 system, Windows PC
Developer: Tokyo RPG FactoryTM (a Square Enix studio)
Available: 19 July 2016
I AM SETSUNA is the first in a completely new RPG series developed by newly established Square Enix studio Tokyo RPG Factory. With a battle system inspired by the classic hitCHRONO TRIGGER®, I AM SETSUNA pays homage to Super NES® RPG titles, bringing back authentic RPG gameplay, beautiful art design and an unforgettable story to a new generation. The evocative title tells the sorrowful story of a young woman of incredible inner strength, and the sacrifice she must undertake to save the people of her land. Those who pre-order the title on STEAM® will receive a special music track from composer, Tomoki Miyoshi.
JUST CAUSE® 3: MECH LAND ASSAULT
Platform: PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC
Developer: Avalanche Studios
Available: Now
JUST CAUSE 3: MECH LAND ASSAULT, the second content pack from the Air, Land and Sea Expansion Pass, takes Rico Rodriguez to the new island of Lacrima, home to an abandoned eDEN research base and a prison camp run by the mysterious Black Hand. Defended by huge powerful Mechs, Rico will need the new Bavarium Power Core rifle to disable their shields and hijack them. Once inside, Rico can use their powerful cannons and the GRIP Gravity Guns to hurl and smash the enemy into pieces.
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
Platform: PlayStation®4 system
Developer: Square Enix
Available: December 2016
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a compilation that brings the popularKINGDOM HEARTS Dream Drop Distance to the PlayStation®4 system platform remastered in high definition. The newly improved title also features brand new content with KINGDOM HEARTS 0.2 Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage –, a playable episode that is played from the perspective of Aqua taking place after the storyline of KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep and links to KINGDOM HEARTS III. The title also includes KINGDOM HEARTS χ [chi] Back Cover, a new HD movie that tells the mysterious story of the Foretellers and connects to the earliest parts of the series’ history.
HITMAN™- Episode 3: Marrakesh
Platform: PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC
Developer: Io-Interactive (a Square Enix studio)
Available: Now, New episodes releasing throughout 2016
Episode Description: Tracking two targets, the mission “A Gilded Cage” challenges players to eliminate private banker Claus Strandberg, holed up inside the secure Swedish Consulate, and army General Reza Zaydan, protected by his elite squad of soldiers who have taken over an abandoned school. From the busy bazaars and bustling marketplace, to the angry mobs calling for justice outside the Swedish consulate, Marrakesh promises HITMAN players the lure of voyeurism and the thrill of infiltration.
Game Description: HITMAN sees players perform contract hits on powerful, high-profile targets in exotic locations around the world, from the highly fashionable Paris and sunny coast of Italy to the dust and hustle of the markets in Marrakesh in this creative stealth action game. Gameplay focuses on taking out targets in huge and intricate sandbox levels with complete freedom of approach. Where to go, when to strike and who to kill – it is all up to you. For the first time HITMAN leads with a digital release inviting players into a world of assassination.
NieR®: Automata
Platform: PlayStation®4 system
Developer: PlatinumGames Inc.
Available: Early 2017
NieR: Automata is a new third-person action role-playing game (RPG) and follow-up to the 2010 cult hit NIER. Offering a fresh blend of action and RPG gameplay styles, NieR: Automata is currently being developed in collaboration with PlatinumGames Inc. In the follow-up, the human race is driven into a war between androids and machines as invaders from another world attack without warning. The game’s all-star development team consists of producer Yosuke Saito (DRAGON QUEST X/ NIER), director YOKO TARO (Drakengard®/ NIER), character designer Akihiko Yoshida from CyDesignation, Inc. (FINAL FANTASY XIV / BRAVELY DEFAULT®), game designer Takahisa Taura from PlatinumGames Inc. (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance), and composer Keiichi Okabe from MONACA, Inc. (TEKKEN / Drakengard / NIER).
The Turing Test / Bulkhead Interactive (UK)
You play the role of Ava Turing, an engineer for the International Space Agency (ISA), as she attempts to uncover the truth behind the research base on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, in this gorgeous first-person puzzle game built with Unreal Engine 4. Solve puzzles using your Energy Manipulation Tool (EMT) to transfer power out of one object and into another; power up and take control of artificially intelligent machines, manipulate giant structures and solve complex tasks – all woven into a multi-layered story based on the human struggle for control. The Turing Test will be published for PC by Square Enix Collective in August 2016.
Black The Fall / Sand Sailor Studio (Romania)
Black The Fall is an immensely atmospheric side-scrolling action adventure for PC and digital consoles set in a dark and oppressive land, inspired by the Sand Sailor team’s upbringing in Communist Romania. Discover a forgotten industrial world where strict and rules and harsh punishments tore the fabric of humanity itself. What will you do to survive? Solve puzzles to progress, all the while attempting to avoid suspicion and alerting the intent… and unfriendly… gaze of the State. Black The Fall will be published on both PC and Console by Square Enix Collective in Q3 2016.
STAR OCEAN®: Integrity and Faithlessness™
Platform: PlayStation®4 system
Developer: tri-Ace, Inc.
Available: 1 July 2016
Set between the events of the second and third games in the series, STAR OCEAN: Integrity and Faithlessness takes place centuries after humans have left Earth for the stars. At this point in history, the Pangalactic Federation is nearing the fulfilment of its mission: Peace and order throughout the galaxy. However, the embers of conflict begin to stir once more on the planet of Faykreed, 6,000 light years from Earth, as a new story begins in the ocean of stars.
WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY™
Platform: PlayStation®4 system, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system
Developer: Square Enix
Available: 28 October 2016
WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY combines classic RPG gameplay mechanics with fresh and imaginative toy-like visuals in an adorable adventure. As a brand-new addition to the FINAL FANTASY franchise, this game can be enjoyed by both fans and newcomers to the series as it expands FINAL FANTASY lore to a new generation of gamers. Players will lead a pair of twins through varied FINAL FANTASY worlds to collect, raise and take into battle the adorably familiar monsters including the Cactuar, Tonberry, and Behemoth.
About Square Enix Ltd.
Square Enix Ltd. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content in Europe and other PAL territories as part of the Square Enix group of companies. Square Enix Ltd. also has a global network of leading development studios such as IO Interactive™, Crystal Dynamics®, and Eidos Montréal. The Square Enix group of companies boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 115 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 68 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 45 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix Ltd. is a London-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
More information on Square Enix Ltd. can be found at http://eu.square-enix.com/en
