Final Fantasy XIV will not be sold until it becomes less popular
Final Fantasy XIV has been such a huge success, reaching heights that no other MMORPG has been able to overcome. Square Enix stopped selling the game in order to support existing players so that the game servers would not be too overloaded, providing gamers who already own the game with a smooth gaming experience.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has gained unprecedented popularity in the past few years due to various circumstances. Between 2018 and 2021, FFXIV has gained over 4 million players and an ever-increasing number of subscribers.
After the disastrous launch of the original Final Fantasy XIV, which shut down its servers back in 2012, this runaway success of A Realm Reborn is a big hit with longtime fans and developers alike.
Thus, it was rather shocking when Square Enix decided to stop all sales of Final Fantasy XIV.
In an official news release, game director Naoki Yoshida announced that the publisher has decided to stop selling all initial and definitive editions of Final Fantasy XIV in order to combat the game's ever-increasing queuing times.
This will be a comprehensive move that will affect both physical and digital copies and will affect all digital retail outlets. This will not be an instant move, but a gradual process where Square Enix will work with all retailers to ensure a smooth transition until they can fix their server issues.
The unprecedented move comes after Square Enix had already predicted an increase in server load ahead of the launch of the Endwalker expansion. Citing a global shortage of semiconductors, Square Enix urged its players to be patient as they cannot add more servers. By early December, players were already experiencing nearly hour-long queues and even longer loading times during peak times.
Square Enix previously gave seven days of free subscriptions to all active subscribers as compensation for long queues. The last post added another fourteen days of subscription as additional compensation. In addition, free trial subscriptions are limited to allow paid subscribers to access the game. Free trial subscribers will only be allowed to enter worlds outside business hours.
2021 has been a pretty busy year for Creative Business Unit III as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has seriously delayed Endwalker's launch. Despite such setbacks, Final Fantasy XIV won the "Best Current Game" and "Best Community Support" awards at The Game Awards 2021. Now Final Fantasy XIV has transcended reality and become a meme because it really "suffers from success".