Fortress was the codename of a cancelled video game being developed as a spin-off of Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. It was envisioned as an action game set in the fictional world of Ivalice,[1] and is intended for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows platforms.[2] Although not yet officially announced, the project's existence was revealed after the closure of the original developer, GRIN, by former members of the development team and sources in the video game industry.[3]
Development[ | ]
Preproduction work for Fortress began in the second half of 2008 when Square Enix outsourced it to the Swedish developer GRIN.[4] The development team, based in Stockholm, began creating concept art, 3D models and a game engine, thinking of Fortress as a "game with an epic scale both in story and production values".[2] The project made use of the Audiokinetic Wwise solution for dynamic sound and music transitions.[5] In addition to original characters and locations, concept art for the game depicts Ashe and a Judge character from Final Fantasy XII,[6][7] and chocobos and other recurring creatures of the series.[2][6]
However, after six months of development, Square Enix reclaimed the project without paying GRIN, due to concerns over the quality of the work.[3][4] Square Enix's withdrawal left the Swedish developer in financial difficulty and with no other ongoing game project.[4] This led to GRIN declaring bankruptcy, as laws in Sweden inflict severe fines on businesses which operate under a debt load.[4] The developer closed its offices on August 12, 2009, noting that delayed payments from "too many publishers" caused "an unbearable cashflow situation" and mentioning in a farewell note their "unreleased masterpiece that [they] weren't allowed to finish".[8] The Fortress project, still supported by Square Enix, is now being developed by a different, undisclosed studio.[4]
Two placeholder creatures in a duel, from the leaked tech demo
In January 2010, footage from an alleged tech demo of Fortress was leaked on the Internet. The video description stated the game's events are "set some time after Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings", and mentioned Square Enix's subsidiary Eidos Montreal as a possible new home for the project.[9][10] Replying to a fan question in May 2010, David Hoffman, director of business development at the American branch of Square Enix, mentioned Fortress without confirming its existence, stating "I have and had no involvement in the rumored project Fortress".[11]
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