Longtime fans of Final Fantasy 14 are sure to remember its’ harrowing 2010 release. Clunky user interfaces, rinse-and-repeat combat flow, and a dwindling player base led to its’ obliteration (literally) by Square Enix and revival with director Naoki Yoshida at the helm. Now, FF14 surpasses 24 million subscribers worldwide and claims the title of the highest selling Final Fantasy in history.
During a recent digital preview event, Yoshida announced that FF14 is 24 million players strong. Compared to the game’s second expansion in 2017, Stormblood – 10 million subscribers was the peak of the player base. From current statistics, Yoshida claims that FF14 is the most profitable Final Fantasy game ever. While most FF titles are single-player JRPG behemoths like Final Fantasy 7, FF14‘s milestone for the franchise is an underdog inspiration and valid because of its’ transformative journey.
“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.”
Naoki Yoshida
FF14‘s developer and player trust
Despite being a colossal benefactor to Square Enix, Yoshida remains transparent and states, “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.”
FF14‘s development has brought massive positive change from launch and continues to ramp up the enjoyment factor for players. And in turn, the player base loves the care and passion behind the team as much as the MMORPG – creating a bond of trust between devs and players that’s, unfortunately, fizzling out nowadays.
FF14‘s uphill rise is not stopping anytime soon as the latest expansion, Endwalker – releases in late November!
Via: PC Gamer
