Final Fantasy publisher launches its next mobile game in select test markets

Square Enix is always looking for the next hit that will generate millions of dollars on mobile, and the publisher is testing out its latest hope to accomplish that.

The company just “soft launched” Heavenstrike Rivals in Canada and Australia. This is a testing phase that helps Square Enix see how the free-to-play role-playing game performs both monetarily and gameplay-wise. Canada and Australia are both popular test markets, and if things go well, Heavenstrike Rivals should go live worldwide sometime this winter. Square Enix is looking for a flagship game that can shoot to the top of the downloads and grossing charts and capture a big piece of the mobile market, which is on pace for more than $21 billion worldwide this year, and a small number of hugely popular names at the top absorb a bulk of that revenue.