Square Enix will radically overhaul its foundering massively multiplayer online game Final Fantasy XIV in a year's time, it said on Friday.

The alterations that Square Enix says it will make to "Version 2.0" are dramatic and extensive: a new graphics engine, redesigned maps, a totally new server system and a redesigned user interface, among other changes.

Square Enix described the changes, accompanied by several PDF files full of details and concept art, in a message to users on Friday.

The PlayStation 3 version of the game, originally announced by Sony as scheduled to be released in the holiday season of 2010, is now slated for early 2013. The Version 2.0 upgrade and a beta of the PS3 port are currently scheduled to go out in September or October 2012.

After a disappointing launch of the original version of the game last year, Square Enix has not yet charged users any monthly fees. It said that it would end the free period in late November or early December of this year.

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