During its analyst meeting on Tuesday, Square revealed further details on Final Fantasy XI for the Sony PlayStation 2. The game will be the company's first online title, and it will require players to sign up for the PlayOnline network service in order to enjoy the game. The software, which will be in DVD format, will be sold as a premium package with an estimated price of 6,000 to7,000 yen in March 2002, according to Square president Hisashi Suzuki. The initial pricing is affordable compared with Final Fantasy X's 8,800 yen price tag, but the online RPG will also require monthly fees. The monthly fees will be implemented beginning April 2002. PlayOnline was originally planned as a network service featuring digital distribution of music, comics, and other entertainment content, but the service will be limited to playing Final Fantasy XI following its initial rollout.

　　The lead developers on Final Fantasy XI are Hiromichi Tanaka, producer of Chrono Cross, and Koichi Ishii, who previously worked on the Secret of Mana series. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy X is scheduled for a July 19 release in Japan.