grin
In Real Life

What A Western Final Fantasy Could Have Sounded Like

One of the most fascinating dead ends in recent history has been the fact that, up until a few years ago, a Swedish developer was working on a big-money Final Fantasy game.

June 29, 2011
In Real Life

Tony Holmsten’s Video Game Art Is A Final Fantasy

Tony Holmsten, formerly of Sweden now living in Japan, has been working as a video game artist since 2002 at two of Sweden’s biggest studio’s, Battlefield developers DICE and the now-defunct Grin.

May 29, 2011
News

Bankrupted Studio Says Square Enix Demanded Code By Fax, Didn’t Recognize FFXII Screenshots

In a feature story published today in Sweden, the founders of GRIN lay their studio’s precipitous demise at Square Enix’s feet, saying the publisher reneged on payments during the development of a Final Fantasy game and saddled them with ridiculous requirements as the project went sour.

February 22, 2011
PlayStation

When Your Developer Goes Bust, The Music Must Go On

Game designer (and musical maestro) Simon Viklund has had some adjusting to do over the past few years, watching a game series he was once a driving force behind end up in the arms of another man. Well, team.

April 17, 2010
News

Bionic Commando Rearmed Makers Get 1Up With New Studio

The Swedish game makers behind Bionic Commando Rearmed are back with a new studio and new unannounced game.

January 18, 2010

Rumour: Leaked ‘Tech Demo” Footage Of Final Fantasy: Fortress

This is a two-minute, 30-second video said to be of a tech demonstration of “Fortress,” the Final Fantasy project GRIN was said to have been working on when the Swedish studio closed.

January 12, 2010
News

Another Game From The GRIN Grave

Our Swedish friends weren’t just working on a Final Fantasy project when the studio went belly-up last year. A former GRIN artist has posted concepts from a ninja action/adventure game, and it sounds like it was a new IP.

September 22, 2009

GRIN’s Ill-Fated “Fortress” Still Under Development

Citing unnamed sources, GamesIndustry.biz says the Final Fantasy spinoff codenamed “Fortress” has not died along with original developer GRIN. When the Stockholm studio closed, Fortress had already been taken back by Square Enix.

September 14, 2009

A Final Look Inside GRIN’s “Fortress”

An anonymous tipster attended GRIN’s going-out-of-business sale at the closed studio’s offices in Stockholm and snapped several pictures that seem to be of its work on the Final Fantasy game it was rumoured to be making for Square Enix.

September 9, 2009

More Art From GRIN’s Cancelled Final Fantasy Project

We don’t normally enjoy loitering around what is essentially a corpse, but when it’s a Final Fantasy game that was in production at a Swedish studio, well, you can excuse us for being curious.

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