A new report from Gematsu was released today, detailing Square Enix’s next big innovation in the gaming industry. The Japanese powerhouse behind mega-franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Tomb Raider will very soon be releasing their own streaming service for video games. While there are many streaming services already existing or in development, such as OnLive, Sony’s Gaikai, and more, Square Enix’s “Dive In” service will be available exclusively for smartphones and tablets for now. Not only that, but it will offer full console-quality games on the go.
The service will launch with only three games available, but Square Enix hopes to quickly add more of their AAA titles to the list soon after launch. The three games that will be available from the get-go are Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy VII: International Edition, and Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders. These games won’t be able to be purchased, but instead, rented for varying amounts of time. The rental periods range from three days to one year, with all games also having a free 30 minute trial. You can find the pricing guide for all three games below:
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Three Days – 250 yen (approximately $2.50USD)
- 10 Days – 510 yen (~$5.10)
- 30 Days – 1,250 yen (~$12.50)
- One Year – 1,800 yen (~$18.00)
- Final Fantasy VII International
- Three Days – 200 yen (~$2.00)
- 10 Days – 400 yen (~$4.00)
- 30 Days – 1,000 yen (~$10.00)
- One Year – 1,429 yen (~$14.29)
- Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders
- Three Days – 150 yen (~$1.50)
- 10 Days – 300 yen (~$3.00)
- 30 Days – 800 yen (~$8.00)
- One Year – 1,185 yen (~$11.85)
The service releases on October 9th in Japan, with more titles arriving in the coming months. Square Enix already has plans for Final Fantasy VIII and The Last Remnant to come in November, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and the recently released Murdered: Soul Suspect in December, and finally Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII sometime in 2015. Dive In uses cloud-based technology to stream the games using wifi to both iOS and Android-powered phones and tablets. This means being able to use it on the brand new iPhone 6 that Apple announced today. The service also requires the user to have a Square Enix account, as well as a wifi connection that is at least 3mbps. For more on Dive In and its inevitable announcement for Western audiences, keep it locked right here.
