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There's a new Final Fantasy spin-off on the way

But...

A couple of days ago, eagle-eyed internet users managed to spot a suspicious new Square Enix trademark which appeared to hint at a brand new Final Fantasy game. Of sorts.

Square Enix has now confirmed a Final Fantasy Digital Card game is indeed in the pipeline (thanks, Gematsu). It's going to be available on PC and smartphones, and will be free-to-play - along with in-game microtransactions, of course, which sound like they will take the form of a "paid currency".

If you want to access the game, you'll need a Yahoo! Japan ID to sign up for one of 10,000 spaces on the closed beta, which runs from 18-25th January. The registration period for this ends on 15th January, and you can view the sign-up here.

Deck the halls... glad Tidus we bring... why didn't this story break over Christmas.

There's no news yet whether this will be getting an English-language version, but the physical version of the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game initially debuted in Japan before a translated version appeared here a few years later. It's likely the new Final Fantasy title is at least somewhat based on this physical trading card game. I guess those who've played it before will be beta prepared.