Square Enix announces US FFXI details

Massively multiplayer RPG Final Fantasy XI, the first online title from Japanese RPG giant Squaresoft, has been given a release date in the USA at last - with the PC version of the game due to arrive in late October.

No release date for the PS2 version of the game, which currently has almost a quarter of a million subscribers in Japan, has been revealed as yet - and will rely largely on the arrival of the PS2 hard drive accessory, which is required by FFXI.

We do now know, however, that when the PS2 version of the game does arrive, it'll be played on the same servers as the PC version, allowing gamers to interact with each other regardless of platform - something which has generally been avoided by console developers creating online titles in the past.

American gamers (and presumably European gamers, when it gets here) will receive the add-on pack, Rise of the Zilart, for free with the game - bringing the USA up to speed with Japan, where FFXI is already over a year old. A subscription to the game will cost $12.95, with an additional $1 per month charge for each extra character you wish to use - an interesting touch, since most MMORPGs allow players to use multiple characters at no extra cost.