Square Enix recently treated the media to a preview of the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker expansion. During the event, Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida revealed that Final Fantasy XIV is now the most profitable Final Fantasy game ever. It also now boasts more than 24 million players.
Final Fantasy XIV’s initial 2010 PC launch did not go smoothly after a lot of issues led to it being considered a failure and unfinished. The title struggled on for two years before the servers were closed in 2012. Yoshida was brought in to turn the game around and it was rebuilt from the ground up. It was finally rereleased as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in 2013, this time on PS3 too. By 2015 Final Fantasy XIV had reached four million players. When Stormblood was released in 2017, that number had increased to 10 million. Now it has reached a total of 24 million players and Square Enix isn’t resting on their laurels, eventually aiming to hit 30 million players.
Thanks to its long life and enormous player base, Final Fantasy XIV is now the franchise’s most profitable title. As recounted by IGN, Yoshida commented on Final Fantasy XIV’s history and his hopes for the future:
You all know just how hard things were for us with the original Final Fantasy 14. Since then, we were able to transform the title into one that provides a major contribution to our company’s profits.
It’s perhaps unbecoming of me to say but in terms of our business, we’ve been able to achieve great success. Moving forward, we’re going to spare no expense with our investments to ensure that this game continues to be one which our players can enjoy.
Next month, Endwalker will conclude a story arc that’s been running since Final Fantasy XIV’s original launch in 2010, where Hydaelyn and Zodiark will finally resolve their conflict. The expansion will also add new locations, enemies, jobs, a new raid, more dungeons, a new tribe, and a level cap increase amongst other things. Preorders for Endwalker have increased by 160% compared to Shadowbringer; preorders grant four days of early access beginning on November 19. Those who haven’t preordered Endwalker will be able to play the new content on November 23.
[Source: PlayStation Blog, IGN]
