"The Ring of Dominion" was announced in September 2004, scheduled for a release late in 2005. It was a notable game in Square Enix's business plan for its use of their PlayOnline service, being the second announced title to use it after "Final Fantasy XI", and formed part of the company's expanding corporate strategy at the time. It was promoted by Square Enix through cross-promotion with "Chains of Promathia", an expansion to "Final Fantasy XI". Its first beta test began in October the following year. 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. For the different beta tests, they chose different kingdoms to represent, allowing them to adjust the balance so each would be able to have a chance in battles. It was released in Japan on February 23, 2006. It was originally released with the release model of an initial purchase fee followed by a monthly subscription. In November of that year, Square Enix transferred ownership and management of "Fantasy Earth" to Gamepot; the game came with a shift to item-based billing, with the base game being a free download.