On August 27, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (FFXIV) celebrated its first anniversary, now boasting over 2.3 million monthly subscribers.
It’s become hard to remember that despite this iteration of FFXIV receiving much praise and critical acclaim, it is not the first version of the online game to be released by Square Enix.
FFXIV 1.0 was originally released back in 2010. It didn’t make it long on the MMORPG market and went essentially free-to-play before its servers were shut down so the company could rework the game’s design. It was the first time an MMORPG received a makeover this large. It is much more common for a game that has suffered such a devastating blow to be abandoned by the developers after transitioning to free-to-play.
Dedicated Final Fantasy fans, as well as those new to MMOs, welcomed the re-release. IGN, the popular video game review website, gave the original FFXIV a devastating score of 5.5/10, but boosted its rating up to an 8.6/10, praising its new class system, game mechanics, and the sheer beauty of its immersive world.
More than 2.3 million gamers agreed, helping Square Enix out of a negative net income that resulted from the decline in the Final Fantasy series’s popularity and the tanking of the original FFXIV.
It’s not just the product of the reincarnated FFXIV that has kept players hooked or the fact that the game can be played on three consoles (PC, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4). It’s the ongoing content released by the game’s developers long after its starting date that has captivated the MMORPG community.
Since its re-release in August 2013, the game has seen three major patches (stages in which compatibility problems are fixed and/or the rules of the game are altered) along with miniature improvements between them.
Not only did each patch release three new dungeons, but patch 2.1 revealed the first part of the Crystal Tower, the Labyrinth of the Ancients as well as player housing for free companies (guilds) and the “Extreme Mode” Primals, which are harder versions of existing bosses.
Patch 2.2 brought new Primals, a huge addition to the storyline, and more quality of life improvements. The most recent patch (2.3) revealed a storyline with a much darker, political theme that brought yet another Primal and major developments to the game’s existing content.
To celebrate the game’s anniversary, Square Enix announced its free login campaign, which let players who ended their subscription come back to the game for a few weeks to see what changed and to explore the game’s improved dungeons, raids, and gear. The company also hosted a 14-hour stream that featured the 17th letter from producer Naoki Yoshida, guest appearances, and other surprises for players.
Its player base is nowhere close to World of Warcraft’s 6.8 million subscribers, but it should be expected that FFXIV will take its place as one of the market’s most subscribed to MMORPGs.
This is only the beginning of what FFXIV plans to bring to the table. Compared to MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, FFXIV is merely a baby on the market, but that’s not stopping Square Enix from promising plenty of content in its future.
Confirmed additions to the game include new classes and jobs, even more dungeons, the final installments of the Crystal Tower, the completion of the Binding Coil of Bahamut and plenty of major quality of life improvements will make combat, crafting, community interaction and the aesthetic quality of the digital world even better.
With an expansion of the game that focuses on sky travel in its future, it’s clear that Square Enix has plenty left to give to FFXIV’s players. The company has certainly rebounded from its near downfall. FFXIV has come a long way from its mechanically challenged, contrived, and unoriginal beginnings.
Stephen Margelony-Lajoie can be reached at [email protected].
