Summary
The director behind the long-running MMORPGFinal Fantasy 14comments on whether the game could go free-to-play. Square Enix iscelebratingFinal Fantasy 14’s 10th anniversarythis year, after the game’s rebooted release in 2013 under the “A Realm Reborn” subtitle. Famously, the game had suffered from its initial launch in 2010 that it required a full restart three years later. This is all possible thanks to its director, Naoki Yoshida, who had managed to turn the game around from something lackluster to a title that is still being played today.
The success ofFinal Fantasy 14has paid dividends, as it managed to release four expansions throughout the past decade, withthe fifth Dawntrail expansionreleasing in Summer 2024. Not only that, the game’s free trial has also been expanded, giving players not only access to the base game, but two of its massive expansions at no extra cost. With the MMO expanding its free trial to such a degree, some might wonder if the game would consider going entirely free-to-play. Yoshida has promptly stated that the game’s future likely won’t go down that route.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 14 Director Reveals How Many More Expansions Are in Mind
In a Eurogamer interview, the director was asked ifFinal Fantasy 14’s expansive free trialmight encompass the entire game one day. Yoshida stated that it won’t, but the free trial itself might expand even further as it goes along. He cites the amount of time and money invested into these expansions could only be made back by the revenue of the sales that the expansions themselves generate. Yoshida further notes that the developers are aiming to make the best content that can be enjoyed by its players while considering the business side.
While the MMO has been a massive success for Square Enix, Yoshida was also asked how much left could be done with the game. According to the director, the development team have no plans to move to a new game just yet, admitting that creating something new could be more difficult thanwhenFinal Fantasy 14had to be rebuiltfrom scratch. He notes that if some inspiration does come to him, he might pursue it.
Final Fantasy 14’s turnabout from an unfinished mess to a success story is an experience that Yoshida is proud of, along with the ability to keep the game fresh for both a newcomer of the genre and a veteran player. He voiced how happy he is for the endless support that he and the team received, allowing them to keep the game exciting for gamers.
Final Fantasy 14is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5 with an Xbox Series X/S version coming in Spring 2024.
