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Fantasy Earth: Zero

Fantasy Earth ZERO
Fantasy Earth Zero.jpg
Developer(s) Multiterm(original), Fenix Soft (Current)
Publisher(s) Gamepot
GamepotUSA
Square Enix
Gamania
Hangame
PlayOnline
Distributor(s) Square Enix
Designer(s) George Kamitani (Art director)
Composer(s) Hitoshi Sakimoto
Masaharu Iwata
Manabu Namiki
Kenichi Koyano
Chronicles:
Ryo Yamazaki
Hidenori Iwasaki
Tsuyoshi Sekito
Platform(s) Windows
Release date(s)
  • JP: February 23, 2006 (original)
  • JP: November 2, 2006 (beta)
  • JP: December 21, 2006 (Official)
CN April 23, 2007(beta)

HKJune 26, 2008 (beta)

TWJuly 3, 2008(beta)

  • NA: March 3, 2010 (1st)
  • NA: March 17, 2010 (2nd)
  • NA: May 18, 2010 (official)
Genre(s) MMORPG/TPS/RTS
Mode(s) multiplayer

HKJune 26, 2008 (beta)

TWJuly 3, 2008(beta)

Fantasy Earth Zero (Japanese: ファンタジーアースゼロ), formerly known as Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion, is a massive multiplayer online game (MMO) developed by Fenix Soft(Square Enix) (the original developers, Multiterm, were absorbed into NHN Japan on September 1, 2007, however development rights transferred to Fenix Soft on June 2008).

Several months after the release of The Ring of Dominion, Square Enix cancelled the game because of a severe lack of demand. The publishing rights were later bought by Gamepot, who renamed it to Fantasy Earth Zero and had greater success with it when they dropped the subscription-based element it became a "free to play" game. In 2011 the game claimed over 1,200,000 users. Revenue is generated using an in-game currency known as "arbs", which are bought for real money and can purchase items obtainable in no other way.

Gamepot Japan and Gamania Taiwan have established IP blocks that prevent players outside their respective regions from playing the game. Gamania HK has established an IP block as of December 20, 2012 and will gradually prevent players from outside the region from playing. While PlayOnlineCN has not established an IP block allowing players from anywhere to play.

The original game entered beta testing on February 23, 2006, and was re-released by Gamepot Japan on November 2, 2006. On April 3, 2007, Fantasy Earth entered beta testing in mainland China. On June 3, 2008, it entered beta testing in Taiwan. On July 1, 2013 the Taiwan server ended its service. On July 2, 2013 Gamania HongKong has terminated its service of Fantasy Earth Zero.

US players were finally able to play when Fantasy Earth Zero was announced by Gamepot USA on January 12, 2010. The first open beta in the US ran from March 3 to March 10, 2010. Players who took part in a "Kingdom War" in the first open beta were eligible to receive a "limited edition" weapon in the second open beta, which started on March 17, 2010. The game was officially launched in the United States on May 18, 2010. On February 3, 2011, Gamepot USA announced the closing of North America Fantasy Earth Zero service effective from March 21, 2011.

Fantasy Earth: Zero (FEZ) is a third-person action MMORPG with a large emphasis on player-versus-player on a massive scale. Armies of players, each from one of five kingdom, can go head-to-head in a type of war known as "Kingdom-versus-Kingdom" (abbreviated as KvK). These KvK battles are balanced by forcing each side to have a similar number participants, placing "overflow" players into a queue waiting to enter the battle. Players from the two warring kingdoms receive preference in this queue. A maximum of fifty players are allowed on each sides of the battle. KvK battles are all held on the same server.


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