Final Fantasy creators' mobile RPG Zodiac goes from free-to-play to 'premium' game

Mobile Japanese role-playing game Zodiac, which is coming to iOS from French game developer Kobojo and a handful of Final Fantasy creators, is no longer a free-to-play game. Instead, Kobojo plans to release the JRPG as a "premium" title in the U.S. and Europe — meaning the game can be purchased for a price that Kobojo didn't specify.

"The heart and soul of Zodiac has always been to bring players a classic JRPG experience regardless of platform — the kind of experience that JRPG fans enjoy, and sadly, that no longer seem as common as they once were," said Kobojo CEO Mario Rizzo in a press release. "Listening to the great feedback we received after showing the game at GDC and E3, we've made the unprecedented decision to shift gears from Kobojo's usual free-to-play format to make Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey a premium game for Western audiences."

Rizzo says the game — its full name is Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey — will be sold as "a standalone, one-time premium game purchase, with episodic content updates to continue the epic saga of Orcanon." Future episodes will add new areas, character classes and challenges, Kobojo says.

Zodiac was announced at last year's Tokyo Game Show. Rizzo described the game as "Final Fantasy meets Valkyrie Profile and Dragon's Crown in a new online multiplayer experience" at its unveiling. In addition to a release on iOS, Kobojo plans to bring Zodiac to PC and PlayStation platforms.

Working with Kobojo's Dundee, Scotland, studio on Zodiac are Kazushige Nojima (writer of Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 10) and Hitoshi Sakimoto (composer of Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy 12).

For more on Zodiac, read Polygon's interview with the game's creators and check out the game's debut trailer below.