Dissidia Final Fantasy NTis no longer receiving updates, as per Square Enix’s announcement made last year. It was a sudden shutdown, decided only two years after the game was brought to PC and PS4 back in 2018.Dissidia Final Fantasy NTstarted as an arcade game earlier than that, in 2015, and did well as an arcade game, but did not meet Square Enix’s expectations as a console release.
The shutdown is disappointing to fans who were still anticipating more fighters to be released. Vivi fromFinal Fantasy 9was a popular speculation for a new fighter, for example, butArdyn fromFinal Fantasy 15was the last official character to be released and none will follow. Square Enix’s official statement regarding anotherDissidiasequel is that there are no current plans. However, this doesn’t spell doom for the series forever.
RELATED:Assassin’s Creed Needs to Have a Spin-Off Like Dissidia Final Fantasy
The Series So Far
TheDissidiaseries is made up of four games. The originalDissidiaandDissidia 012both feature campaign modes and more focus on the story. The characters go through more personal journeys and have more fleshed-out interactions than inNT, whose gradual release of story cutscenes are now left hanging. TheDissidiamobile game,Opera Ominia,is more of atraditional RPGthan a fighting game, but it maintains the core features of being aFinal Fantasycrossover focused on the conflict between gods.
As a 3v3 arcade game ported to consoles with less focus on narrative,NTwas the odd one out in the subfranchise. It did well as an arcade game, but many fans found it lacking as a console release. As there was no campaign mode, the branching story paths were left feeling incomplete. The lack of any future updates or plans leavesDissidiain an odd sort of limbo.
The Potential for a Return
There may not be plans for a sequel of any kind currently, but that doesn’t necessarily mean thatDissidiais done with.Opera Omniahas done well as amobile game, andFinal Fantasyfans enjoy crossover games where their favorite characters get to interact. Any future games will likely either return to the style of the original game, or move away from fighting games and into RPGs. Those who enjoyedNT’s style of gameplay won’t see it again in new releases, but the game will still be playable online and offline.
Ideally, a newDissidiatitle would include a full roster from the start. Characters would be unlocked through gameplay, rather than a slow release of DLC updates. The story should be complete and progress naturally, andgive its characters compelling journeysto follow. There’s still room to experiment with new playstyles as well, to keep the series fresh. A mixture of genres, or new fighting game styles could give the series a new face.
All said, considering Square Enix’s statement, it would be a very long wait for any newDissidiagames. There was a gap of seven years between the console releases of012andNT, so fans will have to play the older games for quite a while in the meantime.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NTis available on PC and PS4.
