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Tokyo Game Show is back for 2021, in an all-digital format due to ongoing COVID concerns. Because of that, Square Enix are coming with what we might consider a slightly abbreviated lineup; it is of course possible that they don't feel ready to show more of Final Fantasy XVI, but I think it could be just as likely that an all-online exhibition doesn't have the spectacle they'd like for their flagship game, either. These are the games that the company is bringing to TGS for English-speaking audiences:

• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Forspoken
• Stranger of Paradise
• Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier
• Project Triangle Strategy (how does this game not have its final name yet?)
• Collection of SaGa
• Brave Exvius and War of the Visions

The English streams will begin at 6am Eastern Time on October 1 and will run for probably around four hours. Then, they will restart at midnight Eastern on October 2 for another several hours, take a break, and will come back with another section at 8am Eastern. The final day will start at 11pm Eastern (still on October 2 for us in the West) with a presentation of the ongoing CCG and will wrap up starting at 4:30am Eastern October 3 with The First Soldier.

If you would prefer to watch the streams even without English support, the list of games at TGS will be larger. Dragon Quest X Offline and Online, Imperial SaGa Eclipse, Romancing SaGa ReUniverse, and Deep Insanity: Asylum (a new PC and mobile RPG) will appear in Japanese only in other streams. The full schedule including the Japanese-only video has been provided by Gematsu.

Source: Square Enix TGS, Gematsu

The releases of the Pixel Remaster versions of the first six Final Fantasy games continues on September 8 with Final Fantasy IV, Square Enix have just announced. As with all the remasters, the releases are for Steam, Android and iOS and will be simultaneous worldwide.

Those who would like to play via Steam can currently preorder Final Fantasy IV alone on a 20% discount and will also receive a three-track soundtrack and two wallpapers. You can also order the bundle and get all the games that have already unlocked, all the future games as they release, and similar OST and wallpaper bundles for all six games also at a discount. The single game package is currently $14.39, and the six-game bundle is $74.82.

Sorry, still no information about a potential Switch release, for those of you asking.

Source: Gematsu

Have you been cooped up in pandemic mode for the last year and a half like the rest of us? Do you want to get out and see some live Final Fantasy music before everything gets shut down again because we're still not winning against said pandemic? The Final Fantasy VII Remake concert series has an absolute shedload of dates coming up in North America that might be just for you. Check out this big list:

• August 27/28: Fort Worth, Texas
• October 16: Orlando
• October 23: Los Angeles
• November 12: Boston
• November 20: St. Petersburg, Florida
• November 27/28: Honolulu
• December 28/29: Atlanta
• January 28, 2022: Nashville
• February 6: Chicago (with a matinee and evening show)
• February 12: Montréal
• February 25: Omaha
• March 2/3: Toronto
• March 5: Guadalajara
• March 18/19: Denver
• March 23: Phoenix
• TBA: Two dates at Carnegie Hall, New York

Most of these dates are already on sale or will be on sale in the next few weeks. So, if one of these dates are near you, go check it out now!

Also, with Final Fantasy IV celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Square Enix have also announced a new vinyl album featuring original tracks and new arrangements of the classic Uematsu tracks. I'm not sure if they have sold through their quantity for pre-order already, but the official site is currently showing a "Waitlist" button. While I personally feel that Final Fantasy IV has one of the better overall soundtracks in the series - come watch me also gush about Celtic Moon in Discord sometime - the $40 price point for vinyl plus digital download dissuades me just a bit. The album is tentatively slated to release on August 25, so if you manage to get a copy please come let us know how it is!

Yesterday, Square Enix announced a new iteration in the Bravely Default series: but it's iOS/Android and free-to-play with in-game transactions. Also, there was no release announced outside of Japan, but that might just be because it's early.

On the bright side, the game looks very nice visually, and the gameplay certainly tracks to what Bravely fans have gotten used to. Additionally, it appears that some key personnel from the development of Bravely Default and Bravely Second are involved, which seems like it might tie the game a little more closely to those games and not the later, and less-well-received Bravely Default II, which was released earlier this year.

There's no release date announced for Japan as yet, and again, no indication of a release outside Japan yet either.

Source: Kotaku

The Pixel Remaster games announced around E3 this year now have started to show up, with the first three games of the series coming first. Gematsu is reporting that Final Fantasy I, II, and III will be the first games released on July 28 worldwide for Steam, iOS and Android. Steam has all three available for preorder at 20% discounts, leaving the prices at $9.59 US for the first two games and $14.39 for Final Fantasy III.

There are no updates for release dates on the Pixel Remaster releases of IV, V, or VI as yet, nor prices.

Source: Gematsu

Gematsu brings us news this morning that the long-assumed version of Final Fantasy VII Remake for PCs might well be on the way. Via Wario64 on Twitter, it looks like the Epic Game Store JSON configuration data contains an entry for a game called "Pineapple QA" that is in reality a placeholder for FF7R.

The screenshot does not indicate whether the game is the original, or the Intergrade edition including the Yuffie episode, though if this information is accurate it will certainly become clear over time. Gematsu postulate that because Integrade has a minimum six-month PS5 exclusivity, the game could release as early as December. If it is instead the original version, I'm not sure if the same exclusivity would apply, but at this point I can't imagine Squenix wanting to release any version other than the newest upgrade to any other platforms.

Source: Gematsu