Originally developed by Puraguru (now known as Vanillaware) and Multiterm under the title Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion,[d] it was released by Square Enix as a paid product through its PlayOnline service.

It relaunched under Gamepot as a free game, and was later handled by developers SoftGear and Ocean Frontier and was transferred back to Square Enix.

Kamitani and Puraguru left the project in 2004 due to differences with Square Enix, with Multiterm taking over production duties.

Production met with several challenges including logistic issues, the technology required for large-scape online battles, and the merger of Enix with Square in 2003.

Fantasy Earth Zero was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in which the player controls a customizable avatar and chooses one of the five nations to ally with and fight for.

[9] In the game's setting of Melpharia, a long era of peace causes ancient petty differences between the nations to erupt into full-scale wars for control over magical crystals that gave birth to all things.

[22] The game design was intended to be fast and action-based similar to first-person shooters, putting it in contrast with the command-based character control of most MMOs at the time.

[25] Several planned elements, such as stamina in battles and item or currency-based loss penalties, were dropped from the final release based on player feedback.

[24] Other issues included the lead staff changing multiple times, with Kamitani's departure being one of the more notable; enabling voice chat without crashing the system; and the merger of Square and Enix during the game's production.

[8] It was a notable game in Square Enix's business plan for its use of PlayOnline, a subscription-based online service platform for its titles at the time.

[5] Due to its unusual network design, the team partnered with a local vocational school and installed the game client on their computers, enrolling its students in the beta test.

[33] In November of that year, Square Enix transferred ownership and management of Fantasy Earth to Gamepot; the move came with a shift to item-based billing, with the base game being a free download.

[37] On March 30, 2012, a major update dubbed Chronicles was released for the game, featuring some gameplay adjustments, added environmental effects, and new characters with associated narratives.

[49] The original release met with a generally positive reception from Japanese critics, who praised its fast pace and addicting gameplay loops.

[14] 4Gamer.net, again reviewing the last beta version, enjoyed the combat loop and movement, but noted that its interface and item management might be confusing for players.

[13][51][52] Game Watch Impress, reviewing one year after its service started, again praised the gameplay and cited the changes implemented after The Ring of Dominion as an improvement both new and returning players would appreciate.

[51] 4Gamer.net, writing a gameplay report on a 2007 update, noted continued mechanical additions and improvements which helped keep the game alive and interesting.

[13] Writing about a preview build for the press, MMORPG.com's Carolyn Koh had little commentary about the gameplay but noted "the graphics and animation look good and the music is superb".

[53] Christophor Rick of Gamers Daily News, also writing a preview based on the pre-release build, felt there was a lack of explanation for elements such as shops and tutorials for quick movement.

[54] Michael Sagoe of OnRPG, reviewing the North American release, found himself enjoying the gameplay despite not being a fan of battle-focused titles.

[56] Following their departure from production, Kamitani and Puraguru relocated to Kansai and renamed themselves Vanillaware, going on to develop multiple titles including Odin Sphere and a reimagined version of Dragon's Crown.

[17][23] Due to their earlier positive relationship, Kamitani has exclusively involved Basiscape and Sakimoto in his projects' music and sound design.

[59] A mobile sequel, Fantasy Earth Genesis,[g] was developed by Asobimo under supervision from Square Enix for Android and iOS.

The biggest challenge presented to the developers was adapting a PC-focused gameplay loop into the limited control options of a mobile title, in addition to the technical difficulties of replicating the original's large-scale battles.