Square Enix has announced the first expansion pack for Final Fantasy XIV, set for release in 2015. Dubbed Heavensward, and good luck pronouncing that, the expansion focuses on the city-state of Ishgard, and introduces a new race, new classes, new primals, and new high level content. Players will also have plenty to grind for, with an increased level cap of 60.
(Source: Square Enix Press Release)
Naoki Yoshida gave a talk at the Game Developers Conference to talk about Final Fantasy XIV’s 1.0 launch, its failure, and how it was reborn. The talk lasts a little more than an hour and covers a wide range of topics including free to play vs subscription and how the landscape has changed in the past few years. Final Fantasy XIV’s relaunch, dubbed A Realm Reborn, has been met with great success.
(Source: Gamasutra)
Today’s MMOrning Shots is a callback to a classic, which is what we writers use as code word for using old content to mask a lack of new content to show. Remember back when Final Fantasy XIV was under reconstruction and how one of the big reveals was that Square Enix had tested their new user interface to hit a goal of “tolerable?”
MMOrning Shots remembers every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Final Fantasy’s 2.3 patch is so massive, it requires an equally beefy eight minute trailer. Those of you with active subscriptions are likely already downloading the patch as I write this, so just watch the trailer anyway.
Square Enix has posted their financial results for the fiscal 2014 year ending March 31, 2014. In addition to a nearly five percent rise in net sales over the previous year, Square Enix also reports a 10.5 billion yen operating income ($100 million, approximately) compared to last year’s 6 billion yen loss. The boost in operating income is attributed to favorable sales from the Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, as well as continued success from Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
(Source: Polygon)
Square Enix has revealed the latest trailer for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The trailer details some of the content coming in Patch 2.3, focusing on the return of the primals, summoned by the various beast tribes that inhabit Eorzea. Players will face off against classic primals, including Garuda, Titan, Leviathan, Ramuh, and Shiva. In addition, Naoki Yoshida will be conducting a live show from the E3 floor around 4pm EST today (6/11) to answer questions and details about the upcoming 2.3 patch.
For now, check out the trailer above.
The relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV has brought nothing but good tidings to Square Enix since it hit shelves last year. According to an article on Gamasutra, Square Enix has increased its forecasted earnings in both revenue and overall profits, with the latter up 50% over previously anticipated returns. Originally, Square Enix had anticipated a $20 million loss for the fiscal year. Thanks to the unexpected performance of Final Fantasy XIV and arcade sales, the company is now projecting a profit of $64.9 million.
(Source: Gamasutra)
Today’s MMOrning Shot comes to us from Square Enix, marking the launch of Final Fantasy XIV on the Playstation 4, not to be confused with the upcoming remake of Final Fantasy IV on the Playstation 14 set for release in 2078. If you have a Playstation 4 and enjoy a good MMO, grab a copy at your local retailer. If you don’t own a Playstation 4, you might not find much value in the disk. If you bought FFXIV on the PS3, you can go ahead and upgrade to the digital version for the PS4 at no additional fee. This offer is only valid until the end of December.
Check out MMOrning Shots every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Or don’t, I’m not a cop.
What would Final Fantasy XIV look like if Square Enix never left 16-bit? Square Enix knows, and wants to show us in the following video which shows a team of warriors battling Titan, one of the bosses in FFXIV. Can the internet bring us a 16 bit demake of Final Fantasy XIV? I can always hope so.
Naoki Yoshida has revealed in an interview to 4Gamer that Final Fantasy XIV currently carries 1.8 million player accounts, 6.75 million characters created, and 500,000 active daily users.
Well, the number for daily active user count can be misleading…. The peak time for Japan and oversea countries are different, for example. But if we simply look at the number of people logging in every day, I’d say we have about 500,000 people worldwide.
Yoshida also talks about Final Fantasy XI, Dragon Quest X, and an obsession with Everquest while Final Fantasy XI was in development. You can read the entire translated interview at the link below.
(Source: Square Enix interview)
MMO Fallout 