Rumor: Hironobi Sakaguchi’s Fantasian Set To End iOS Exclusivity And Go Multiplatform

We have an interesting new rumor about a hotly anticipated game on Apple Arcade, of all places.

Midori shared this rumor a few hours ago:

“An Apple Arcade title will be announced for multiple platforms soon.

Please wait for more information soon.”

When prompted, Midori clarified that this is not a Sega title, and that the announcement is slated to come this June. But then we got the big rumor after this.

Replying to Genki_JPN, who asked if the game in question is Mistwalker Studios’ Fantasian, Midori replied with two emoji; hands clasped in prayer, and a heart.

Apple Arcade was Apple’s honest attempt to make inroads in the video game industry, after decades of allowing developers to publish whatever games they wanted to make on their platform. While that made iPhone one of the biggest products in consumer history, Apple didn’t want to be known as the free-to-play lead platform.

Apple launched Apple Arcade, which is a monthly subscription, all the way back in 2019. While the company doesn’t really talk that much about their subscription, several hints indicated that Apple largely failed in their aims.

In June 2020, Bloomberg reported that Apple cancelled some games, with a new focus to seek out games that were more likely to be successful. They cancelled some games once again on February 2024. This time, they claimed to be retooling their business again to focus on family friendly games based on established IP.

And then, they released some games on the service that would launch as Apple Arcade exclusives, only to come to other platforms later. That’s what happened to Yu Suzuki’s Air Twister, and then to Horizon Chase Turbo 2.

Fantasian is also an Apple Arcade exclusive, and one that gamers have been distraught over. This turned out to be the latest RPG made by Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker Studios, with the one just before it being the Wii title The Last Story, dating all the way back in 2011.

But really, Sakaguchi dipped back to his work in the 2D pixel Final Fantasy games for inspiration. This title is a turn based RPG, with a lot of emphasis on dialogue, and a unique gameplay element called the Dimengeon system. Fantasian also boasts a stunning visual style, with handcrafted dioramas creating a wholly unique aesthetic.

The big appeal to Fantasian coming to other platforms is that many Sakaguchi and/or Final Fantasy fans didn’t even know that the game exists. Fantasian is hugely popular with the fans who have played this, but they also definitely want to add the game to their console or PC libraries. Let’s hope that we get a big announcement for this as Mistwalker has ample opportunity to find a company to help them reveal it.