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Square Enix Vocal Covers: Timeless Classics, a new cover album from Square Enix and Keiichi Okabe’s MONACA, will feature songs from NieR, NieR: Automata, Final Fantasy IX, FFX, and FFXIII. It will launch in Japan on June 25, 2025, with European and US debuts following in July 2025. It will cost $26.99/€19.99 and feature six versions of five songs. 

It sounds like all six songs will be performed by the same singer, with two of them being English covers and the other four being in Japanese. Square Enix didn’t reveal their identity yet though. It did share the track list, which consists of two versions of “Melodies of Life” alongside the other four performances.

Here’s the full list of songs:

1. “Weight of the World” English Version from NieR: Automata
2. “Kaine / Salvation” from NieR Replicant and Gestalt
3. “Suteki Da Ne” from Final Fantasy X
4. “The Sunleth Waterscape” from Final Fantasy XIII
5. “Melodies of Life” English Version from Final Fantasy IX
6. “Melodies of Life” from Final Fantasy IX

Square Enix also started to share samples of the Square Enix Vocal Covers: Timeless Classics songs ahead of the album’s launch. It started with the first song on the album, which is the English version of “Weight of the World” from NieR: Automata. 

The second sample to appear showed off “Kaine / Salvation” from NieR Replicant and Gestalt.

The reveals are going in order, as the one that showed up after that is the third track, “Suteki Da Ne” from Final Fantasy X. 

The last one Square Enix shared is “The Sunleth Waterscape” from Final Fantasy XIII. 

Finally, here's the cover art, which was created by Aamond.

Square Enix Vocal Covers: Timeless Classics album will come to Japan on June 26, 2025, followed by a July 2025 worldwide release of the six songs. One of its last cover albums was #SQkawaii Sounds – Final Fantasy.

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Pre-orders for the FFXIII Play Arts Shin figure of Lightning are now available worldwide. The figure costs 23,760 yen (~$166.39) or €219.99 in Europe, and it can be found on the AmiAmi online store or the Square Enix EU storefront.

While the Square Enix NA store has a listing for the new Lightning figure for $219.99, at the time of writing it appears as sold out and temporarily unavailable. However, it is unclear if this is because pre-orders are still not up in North America. As a reminder, AmiAmi offers international shipping. The figure is set to release outside of Japan on January 2026.

The figure features Final Fantasy XIII protagonist Lightning, and it includes a variety of hand parts to pose her freely. It also includes her signature Blazefire Saber in both sword mode and gun mode. You can check out the figure in more detail here:

The FFXIII Lightning figure is the third in Square Enix’s new Play Arts Shin line, and it follows a figure of Noctis from Final Fantasy XV, and one of Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Square Enix announced the Lightning figure back in mid-March 2025, and it also opened pre-orders for it in Japan on the same day.

The Final Fantasy XIII Play Arts Shin Lightning figure is now available for pre-order from AmiAmi or the Square Enix EU online store, where it costs 23,760 yen (~$166.39) or €219.99 respectively.

The post FFXIII Play Arts Lightning Figure Pre-Orders Open Worldwide appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix revealed that it is working with Good Smile Company to produce a new figure of Lightning from FFXIII. The collaboration figure featuring the Final Fantasy XIII protagonist will be available in late March 2026.

This static figure depicting Lightning with her Blazefire Saber will have a rather uncommon scale of 1/6.5. The total height of the figure, with the Final Fantasy XIII logo-branded base pedestal included, will be around 27 cm (~10.63 inches).

The figure will be available at ¥29,700 (~$202.10). Square Enix has put the figure up for pre-orders on its Japanese e-Store, as usual. But as this FFXIII Lightning figure is being made in collaboration with Good Smile Company, pre-orders may be made more widely available via the latter's web store. However, Good Smile adds a caveat that this figure might not be available to ship to some regions.

Here are some of the sample images of the figure, taken from various angles:

Square Enix has been recently giving more spotlight to Lightning in its figure releases. Prior to the collaboration with Good Smile Company, it revealed a self-produced Play Arts Shin figure of the same character, which it will release in late October 2025.

The new 1/6.5 scale figure of Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII will be available on March 28, 2026. Good Smile Company will close the pre-order window on its web store on June 18, 2025.

The post Square Enix and Good Smile Reveal New FFXIII Lightning Figure appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix has revealed a new Play Arts Shin action figure modeled after Lightning, the protagonist of Final Fantasy XIII. The company has also opened pre-orders on its e-Store in Japan, where it will release the action figure in late October 2025 at 26,400 yen (~$178.30).

This new action figure will have a total height of around 257 mm (~10.12 inches) when Lightning is standing still. The set will come with several alternate hand pose parts. Square Enix will also include the two variations of the Blaze Edge weapon in its sword and gun modes separately.

Here are the sample images showing the parts list and some of the poses the action figure will be able to take:

Lightning will be the third character to receive a Play Arts Shin action figure adaptation. Square Enix launched the new brand with the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth version of Vincent Valentine, whose action figure will be available on August 30, 2025. The second character is Final Fantasy XV's Noctis Lucis Caelum, who will follow suit the month after on September 27, 2025.

The Play Arts Shin action figure of Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII will be available in Japan on October 25, 2025.

The post Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Play Arts Shin Figure Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

At Wonder Festival 2025 Winter, Good Smile Company shared details about three Final Fantasy scale figures of Fran from FFXII, Claire “Lightning” Farron from FFXIII, and Noctis Lucis Caelum. from FFXV. The three are at different stages of development, which means we’ll see likely see Lightning or Noctis appear first. 

The three characters appeared as separate updates. In the case of Lightning, a painted prototype of the character appeared. She’s standing with her back facing toward the viewer and turning around to look at them. She’s holding a gunblade at her side, out of its holster. It appears to be the Blazefire Saber model. 

Likewise, Noctis is at the painted prototype phase of development as well. He’s depicted as he appears at the outset of FFXV. He’s wielding his signature Engine Blade sword in the design. 

In the case of Fran, we only have a piece of concept art. This suggests a possible pose for the final figure. She’s wearing her attire from FFXII. If the image is accurate, than she may be wielding the Shortbow from the game in the final product.

Here are the photos and concept art for the FFXII Fran, FFXIII Lightning, and FFXV Noctics Final Fantasy figures so far:

There’s no release window for the FFXII Fran, FFXIII Lightning, and FFXV Noctics Final Fantasy figures yet, but we’ll likely see Lightning or Noctis first since those prototypes were painted ones. This could mean pre-orders will open in the next few weeks. You can get FFXII on the PS2, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and PC. FFXIII is available on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, as are FFXIII-2 and Lightning Returns: FFXIII. FFXV is now on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and the Pocket Edition version is on those platforms, the Switch, and mobile devices.

The post FFXII Fran, FFXIII Lightning, and FFXV Noctis Figures on the Way appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix first formed as the merger between the Japanese game development giants of Squaresoft and Enix in 2003. Since then, Square Enix has had some notably excellent titles pretty much every single year. However, 2025 looks to be one of the lightest years in the company’s history. As such, Square Enix needs Kingdom Hearts 4 and a Final Fantasy XIII remaster in 2025.

Let’s take a look at Square Enix’s set of releases in 2025. As of writing now at the time of writing after The Game Awards 2024 announcements, there are only two releases players can look forward to from this company in 2025. Those two announcements are just Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for PC and Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake.

The former is simply a port of an existing game, while the latter is likely to be a wonderful remake. However, those are the only releases. As of right now, this appears to be the lightest year in Square Enix’s history since 2003 if nothing else is announced. Of course, I do expect more announcements down the line.

To this point, I think there are a couple of key realistic releases that would make 2025 better for the company than it could be. For instance, I don’t necessarily see Dragon Quest XII coming out next year, especially with the silence surrounding it. But what I could see happen, though it seems unlikely, is the release of Kingdom Hearts 4.

It was first announced back in April 2022, with initial development spanning back to at least 2020 at the latest. For reference, Kingdom Hearts 3 was announced in 2013 and came out six years later. That timeline sounds pretty dismal for hopes of this next entry in 2025, but I do think Square Enix is getting better about announcement timings.

Take a look at Final Fantasy VII Remake, which was announced in 2015, five years before its release. Its sequel, however, had its announcement in 2022 and came out less than two years later. There is a slim chance for Kingdom Hearts 4 in 2025, and it would be enough to save the year for Square Enix.

However, I acknowledge that possibility is unlikely at this point. Instead, there are a couple of other options worth mentioning that could save Square Enix in 2025. For instance, a full remaster of the entire Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. This trilogy are pretty much the only mainline singleplayer Final Fantasy games not available on modern platforms in some fashion. Well, other than backwards compatibility on Xbox, but that barely counts.

With the release of the inevitable Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025, a FFXIII trilogy remaster sounds like a great early launch title as well. These games have their fair share of problems, but they deserve another look. I still think the visuals look almost comparable to games today, while the story is fantastic. I also don’t love the linear nature of the original, but the second title helped with that.

Not to mention, this is a highly realistic option as well. Beyond FFXIII, there are a few final options worth mentioning. A new NieR game feels inevitable and 2025 would be the best year to put it out for Square Enix. I already delved into why I think this is imminent, but it would be a monumental release nonetheless.

There are also some smaller titles I’d like to see in 2025. We could see the next Bravely Default, which I expect on the Switch 2. There is also potential for a new HD-2D remake of another Square classic like Chrono Trigger or Xenogears. I could even see a Triangle Strategy 2 or successor.

Regardless, Square Enix currently has a near blank slate in 2025. I don’t expect this to stay this way for too much longer. Otherwise, 2025 could be one of the worst years in the company’s history, in of overall releases, if not the overall weakest. Square Enix needs major titles in 2025 like Kingdom Hearts 4 or a FFXIII remaster to keep fans engaged.

Kingdom Hearts 4 is scheduled to release in the relatively near future for an unconfirmed set of platforms.

The post Square Enix Needs Kingdom Hearts 4 and a FFXIII Remaster in 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix released the Piano Collections Final Fantasy soundtracks for 13 titles in the series. The arrangement albums are now available to listen online, as well as sold digitally and physically. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

Here is the full lineup of Final Fantasy games whose piano arrangement soundtracks are now available to listen online:

• Final Fantasy IV
• Final Fantasy V
• Final Fantasy VI
• Final Fantasy VII
• Final Fantasy VIII
• Final Fantasy IX
• Final Fantasy X
• Final Fantasy XI
• Final Fantasy XII
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Final Fantasy XV
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

To celebrate the release of the collections online, Square Enix released a 91-minute-long music video including 24 highlight songs selected from each album on the YouTube Square Enix Music Channel.

The video features an animated background displaying a piano sitting in the shore of a night beach alongside the emblematic crystals of the series. At certain points on the video a moogle will appear alongside an airship, accompanied by sound effects.

You can enjoy the highlight video for the FF Piano Collections here:

The Piano Collections Final Fantasy soundtracks for 13 titles in the series are now available to listen on various streaming platforms, including Spotify and YouTube.

The post Final Fantasy Piano Collections Soundtracks Released Online appeared first on Siliconera.

With Theatrhythm Final Bar Line out now, it's essentially a "best of" collection of Final Fantasy and Square Enix game songs. There's so much to it. It got us feeling music this week. So we figured let's all share some of our favorite songs from the series, to help add to our playlists!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9yCnVXkYlY&list=OLAK5uy_nLO-c6V4RwcO9Cv4W0S0ham5qNnoYWj3I&index=41&ab_channel=MasashiHamauzu-Topic
For all of its flaws, I think we can all agree that Final Fantasy XIII had a killer soundtrack. As someone who has been unapologetically a huge Final Fantasy X girlie for like 20 years now, it says a lot that my favorite song from the entire Final Fantasy franchise is from FFXIII. All of the songs that use "Serah’s Theme" as its motif (such as the "Sunleth Waterscape" theme) are just so catchy! It reminds me of when I first turned on Final Fantasy XIII and the excitement around it, considering how long the wait had been. -- Stephanie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW6AWnGWJik&list=OLAK5uy_mKyg_pdrg6J7_wJzmBWwPk7WPFI03hED0&index=5&ab_channel=NobuoUematsu-Topic
When I get a question like this my first instinct is to answer "Battle" from Final Fantasy VI, but the trick there is that there've been at least five or six different, distinct versions of that theme since the days when I knew the game as Final Fantasy III on the SNES. There's the original one, with the harsh guitar buzz and deep bass of the SNES' unique sound chip, the tinnier, more "chippy" rendition delivered by the Game Boy Advance's hardware, the almost dance-hall-style version found in Dissidia, and the Pixel Remaster version that consciously strives for the original composition, but pulling in real instruments to make up for what used to me emulated with bit-screeches. And there's even the hard-driving, slower version put out by The Black Mages in their own cover. The piece contains multitudes, and for me will be the iconic Final Fantasy music track.

Well, the iconic music track AFTER Final Fantasy VI's "The Decisive Battle" (the boss theme), of course. -- Josh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9OwMPZppMg&list=PLOLBWlPQqPkuJV0AxChx_Js7osCbSlLSP&index=2&ab_channel=NobuoUematsu-Topic
There are a ridiculous number of truly amazing Final Fantasy songs out there, many of them doing interesting things, so it’s pretty impossible to pick a single “best” one. I will say that I’m a bit bummed that one of my most loved ones isn’t in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line right away! “Tifa’s Theme” is so haunting, no matter which rendition of the FFVII track you pick, and it’s truly an extraordinary piece. — Jenni

The post What’s Your Favorite Final Fantasy Song? appeared first on Siliconera.

The Square Enix Store debuted a new series of Final Fantasy mouse pads and mats for fans to protect their desks and computer mice with. Pre-orders are open, with an estimated delivery date of March 25, 2023.

The Final Fantasy mouse pad mats measure 800mm wide (about 31.5 inches) and 400mm long (about 15 inches). They'll cover most of a typical computer work surface, with enough space for a keyboard and mouse, or a laptop and other peripherals. They're designed to provide a surface for a mouse to glide smoothly, without scratching the desk or the device.

The mats also feature art from several Final Fantasy titles. Six are available, with illustrations from the following FF games:

• Final Fantasy VIII
• Final Fantasy IX
• Final Fantasy X
• Final Fantasy XII
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy XV

The art emblazoned on the Final Fantasy mouse mats reflects promotional art used for the titles. For example, the FFVIII mat shows an image of Rinoa rendered in the style of the game's CG cutscenes, with Squall and Seifer behind her. The FFX mouse mat features a scene of Yuna and Tidus sharing a moment in the water. The FFXIII mat shows Lightning riding Odin in Gestalt mode. The FFXV mat shows a picture of Noctis and Lunafreya.

Two other Final Fantasy mats show off 2D artwork instead of the 3D images. The FFXII mat shows off Yoshitaka Amano-drawn concept art of the Archadian Judges Gabranth, Drace, Ghis, Bergan, and Zargabaath. The FFIX mat centers an illustration of Freya and Vivi.

Each Final Fantasy mouse mat pad costs about 3,300 Yen (about $25 USD). The games are available on various systems, including PS2, PS3, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

The post Final Fantasy Mouse Pads Put Iconic Art on Your Desk appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIII characters will appear in War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius in Japan from May 14, 2022 to June 30, 2022. The game’s 2.5 Year Anniversary presentation revealed the War of the Visions FFXIII news. Lightning, Hope, and Snow will the game as UR characters on commemorative banners. Lightning and Hope will appear on May 14. Snow will be getting his own separate banner on May 23. Additionally, Fang will also make a guest appearance in the FFXIII event quests.

A one-time ten-roll banner will let players obtain one guaranteed copy of Hope. Three new Vision Cards are also being added in the War of the Visions FFXIII event. They all depict Lightning, Hope, and Snow alongside chosen Eidolons Odin, Alexander, and Shiva. Square Enix is also giving players a free ten-roll summon daily for 15 days to celebrate the half-anniversary.

War of the Visions is also re-running its Final Fantasy Tactics crossover from May 23 to June 22. This time, it unlocks EX Jobs for all six of the Final Fantasy Tactics characters, including Ramza, Agrias, Gaffgarion, Mustadio, Orlandeau, and Delita. EX Jobs in War of the Visions further increase the level cap of characters once they have reached level 99 and maxed out all their jobs. They also unlock new skill boards to further enhance old skills, alongside learning entirely new abilities.

War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is available on mobile devices. The War of the Visions FFXIII event is in Japan only, for now. It is expected to hit the global version in the coming months, like previous crossovers. The War of the Visions x Final Fantasy XIII event in Japan will last from May 14, 2022 to June 30, 2022.

The post War of the Visions FFXIII Crossover Adds Lightning, Hope, Snow appeared first on Siliconera.

Microsoft and Square Enix continue to make good on the November 2019 X019 promise to add Final Fantasy games to Xbox Game . Rather than all appearing immediately, they've gradually rolled out in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Another entry will show up on the service on September 2, 2021. That is when FFXIII will make its debut on Xbox Game for both consoles and PCs.

FFXIII was the first PS3 entry in the series and follows Lightning and a group of l'Cie chosen by the Anime fal'Cie to accomplish a mission. This gets them branded as traitors and pursued by the governing force of Cocoon, the floating home of everyone that is above the planet Gran Pulse. It's known for its linearity and for inspiring two sequels that finish its story.

When FFXIII s, it will be one of four Final Fantasy games on Xbox Game . The other active ones are FFVIII Remastered, FFX | X-2 HD Remaster and FFXII: The Zodiac Age. FFVII was removed in August 2021.

Here are all the September 2021 Xbox Game additions.

• September 2, 2021: Craftopia (cloud, console, PC), FFXIII (console, PC), Signs of the Sojourner (cloud, console, PC), and Surgeon Simulator 2 (cloud, console, PC).
• September 7, 2021: Crown Trick (console, PC)
• September 9, 2021: The Artful Escape (console, PC), Breathedge (cloud, console, PC), Nuclear Throne (console, PC)

Also, the following games are leaving the service soon.

• September 13, 2021: Red Dead Online (cloud, console)
• September 15, 2021: Company of Heroes 2 (PC), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics (cloud, console, PC), Disgaea 4 (PC), Forza Motorsport 7 (cloud, console, PC), Hotshot Racing (cloud, console), and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales (cloud, console)

FFXIII will Xbox Game on September 2, 2021.

The post FFXIII Debuts on Xbox Game Tomorrow appeared first on Siliconera.

People can look forward to having more Final Fantasy Xbox Game additions in 2021. True Achievements confirmed with Microsoft that more entries in the series will be added to the service’s library in 2021. To be specific, the quote from the representative said, “We have done so throughout 2020 and will continue to do so in 2021 and beyond.”

Microsoft first confirmed that entries from Square Enix’s series would show up at X019 in November 2019. The company then gradually started adding different Final Fantasy games to Xbox Game throughout 2020.

So far, four of the ten announced have appeared. Final Fantasy XV showed up first in February 2020. It was followed by Final Fantasy IX in May 2020. Final Fantasy VII was next in August 2020. The last one to show up last year was Final Fantasy VIII Remastered in November 2020.

The following Final Fantasy Xbox Game additions were announced, but haven’t appeared on the service yet.

• Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
• Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy XIII-2
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Xbox Game is $9.99 for the console version subscription or PC version subscription, or $14.99 per month for the Ultimate package that includes Xbox Live Gold, access to the console and PC game libraries, and streaming to Android devices. 

The post More Final Fantasy Xbox Game Games Will Appear in 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

Ready for a Final Fantasy XIII throwback? There’s a chance to be reminded of the game’s English theme song. For those who loved FFXIII’s “My Hands,” by Leona Lewis, a video of her Salesforce 2020 acoustic performance of the track has appeared online. [Thanks, The Emperor on Resetera!]

Back when Final Fantasy XIII came out, Lewis’ song was used in its commercials. There was also an official press spot that featured her talking about the game and “My Hands” being used as the English theme song. (It’s preserved on GamingBits.)

Here's Lewis’ FFXIII “My Hands” performance from Salesforce 2020.

To compare, you can hear the studio version of “My Hands” in the International version of the game’s trailer. The four and a half minute long video had it as the background music while showing off both cutscenes and gameplay.

Also, as a reminder, Lewis' "My Hands" was the global theme song. Sayuri Sugawara's "Kimi ga Iru Kara" was used in the Japanese version of the game.

Final Fantasy XIII is available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC worldwide. In Japan, it was available to stream on mobile devices as well. The game celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2019.

The post Watch FFXIII ‘My Hands’ Performed by Leona Lewis appeared first on Siliconera.

Final Fantasy XIII celebrates the 10th anniversary of when we met Lightning, Snow, Sazh, Hope, Vanille, Fang, and others.

The game takes place in the floating world of Cocoon. In this world, a government known as Sanctum has been purging all of those who've come in with Pulse, the feared world below. The story follows a former soldier named Lightning who must save her sister, Serah, who has been branded as an enemy of Cocoon. She is ed by a band of allies who rally against Sanctum to help save Serah and the world.

Originally announced as the flagship title of the "Fabula Nova Crystallis" Final Fantasy XIII's development started in 2004. It followed with Final Fantasy XIII-2 as a sequel in December 2011. A third entry, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, completed the trilogy in November 2013. Notable staff includes director Motomu Toriyama, producer Yoshinori Kitase, artist Isamu Kamikokuryo, and composer Masashi Hamauzu.

Check out the "Final Trailer" released for Final Fantasy XIII a little over 10 years ago in Japan:

Final Fantasy XIII first released for the PlayStation 3 on December 17, 2009 in Japan. It went on to release worldwide on March 9, 2010 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

The post Final Fantasy XIII Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary Today appeared first on Siliconera.

At X019 today, Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto appeared to announce that a whole bunch of Final Fantasy games are coming to Xbox Game .

These include:

• Final Fantasy VII Remastered
• Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
• Final Fantasy IX
• Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
• Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy XIII-2
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy XV

These titles will be released one by one on the service in 2020.

The post A Whole Bunch Of Final Fantasies Are Coming To Xbox Game appeared first on Siliconera.