Summary
- Final Fantasy 14 struggled initially, but after a complete overhaul, it became one of the most popular MMORPGs in history.
- The original game had numerous issues, including outdated gameplay mechanics, lack of content, and optimization problems.
- Under the direction of Naoki Yoshida, Final Fantasy 14 was successfully revamped and surpassed World of Warcraft in player popularity, with upcoming expansions and improvements planned that will hopefully allow the game's success to continue.
On September 30, 2010, Final Fantasy 14 went live. It was the second online Final Fantasy title in the main series, and Final Fantasy 11 had left some big shoes to fill, especially with MMO champion World of Warcraft releasing the world-revamping Cataclysm less than two months later. Unfortunately, the original Final Fantasy 14 would not become the “WoW Killer” many hoped - in fact, it did quite the opposite. The MMO struggled so much that Square Enix did something unprecedented in the history of gaming: it started over from scratch.
Nearly three years after its first attempt, Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn released to critical acclaim. Each expansion afterward found more success until it found itself dancing with World of Warcraft as the most popular MMORPG in history. FF14 did what no other game had done before - and 10 years later, it is still adapting to better fit the modern audience.
How Final Fantasy 14 Looked to Those Who Came Before
Final Fantasy 11 was the predecessor to Final Fantasy 14. The old school cross-platform MMO never reached the popularity of competitors like World of Warcraft, but it remained a consistent success, Final Fantasy 11 was still receiving updates by the time FF14 came out. Indeed, the PC servers for Final Fantasy 11 are still active today with a very small, but dedicated fanbase.
Sadly, the original Final Fantasy 14 completely failed to live up to Final Fantasy 11’s example. The game received a lukewarm reception, and had a consistently low subscription count for its two years of service due to a bevy of problems. Developers and fans later identified a number of major reasons why the original Final Fantasy 14 failed:
- Final Fantasy 14 didn’t take inspiration from modern MMOs, and was out-of-touch with community desires.
- The developers lacked transparency and never used roadmaps, and had a troublesome mentality that all problems could be fixed later.
- It had little content besides the FF14 Main Scenario quests.
- The MMO played more like a technical demo that prioritized fidelity over performance - for example, a potted plant had as many polygons as the player character.
- It was poorly optimized, and had long loading screens and plenty of glitches.
- The user interface and controls were clunky and awkward, and gameplay was shallow.
Enter Naoki Yoshida, affectionately referred to as Yoshi-P. Yoshida was given full control over Final Fantasy 14 as its director and producer. Nearly the entire development team had been replaced, so Yoshi-P had a lot of work ahead of him. After realizing the code would never allow him to do what he needed it to for the game to succeed, he made the decision to start over. On November 11, 2012, the servers for FF14 closed after an apocalyptic in-game event, and Eorzea was ravaged by the iconic Final Fantasy summon Bahamut in the "End of an Era" cinematic - only for the realm to be literally reborn a year later on August 24, 2013.
Many, including then-president of Square Enix Yoichi Wada, had thought FF14 had irrevocably damaged the Final Fantasy name, but Yoshi-P transformed what could have been the end of the brand into its salvation. With his focus on optimization and communication, Yoshida did so well that he would later be given the reins on Final Fantasy 16, which he directed and produced alongside Endwalker.
How A Realm Reborn Led Those Who Walked After
Heavensward, FF14's first expansion, took the spark lit by A Realm Reborn and turned it into a flame. Final Fantasy 14's success saw its budget rise and team grow, allowing Heavensward to develop more freely than A Realm Reborn. It replaced almost everyone from its voice acting cast, increased the number of voiced cutscenes, and introduced its first new playable race and jobs.
Though it was not as well-received as Heavensward, Stormblood continued these innovations and saw continued growth for Final Fantasy 14. However, Shadowbringers brought with it a perfect storm that saw FF14 become one of the best MMORPGs on the market, on par with World of Warcraft itself.
Shadowbringers released on July 2, 2019 - less than a year before COVID-19 hit. The expansion featured one of the best Final Fantasy villains in history, setting a tantalizing carrot for new players to chase. What's more, shortly after the lockdown was in full swing, FF14 introduced a free trial that included all of A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, allowing players to enjoy hundreds of hours of the critically-acclaimed MMORPG with no restrictions on playtime. The pandemic may have ravaged the industry, but with more people having time to game across the world, Final Fantasy 14 was more popular than ever.
Meanwhile, World of Warcraft was floundering with Battle for Azeroth, a historically unpopular expansion. When it released Shadowlands - widely considered to be one of the worst WoW expansions in history - in late 2020, droves of refugees from World of Warcraft began to flock to Final Fantasy 14. This exodus caused World of Warcraft's unshakable player count to finally be eclipsed for the first time in its long history.
Final Fantasy 14 kept up this momentum into Endwalker. Its latest expansion pack was so popular that Square Enix had to stop selling it temporarily so that the servers could keep up. World of Warcraft has begun to turn things around with Dragonflight, so the two MMOs now routinely swap the crown of top MMO with each major update. FF14 never did become the fabled "WoW Killer," but it did what no other game had: unseat World of Warcraft as the uncontested king of MMORPGs.
Despite its success, Yoshida has no intention of allowing Final Fantasy 14 to rest on its laurels. Dawntrail, its next expansion, is coming next summer, bringing with it the game's first graphics overhaul, an even further expanded free trial that includes Stormblood, and the long-awaited port of FF14 to Xbox consoles, opening the game up to a new audience of players.
Yoshida has regularly said he hopes to make many more Final Fantasy 14 expansions, and would love to work on the critically-acclaimed MMORPG for the rest of his life. Regardless of how long Final Fantasy 14 is around, it is safe to say both new and veteran players are in good hands for as long as they adventure across Eorzea.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version launching in Spring 2024.