Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 announced – Video Games Update
Square Enix has revealed a new trailer for Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 (FF14) and the massively multiplayer online game (MMO) is set to be re-released on the PC and the PlayStation 3.
Final Fantasy XIV began development as a PC and Xbox 360 title in 2007. However, it ended up as a PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PC title because of the Xbox Live Gold price as 360 gamers were less likely to pay a subscription for the MMO in addition to the yearly
Xbox Live fee. The game was officially announced for the PS3 and the PC on June 2, 2009 at Sony’s electronic entertainment Expo (E3) press conference.
The PC version was released on September 22, 2010 and the reception from the public was less than favourable. Gamers and critics found the game to be full of bugs, missing a lot of features commonly found in MMOs and generally lacking polish. Even though
the game had strong initial sales because of the Final Fantasy brand, the player base started to decrease rapidly after launch.
Square Enix however tried their best to make the failing MMO work as the publisher offered free trials to new members and offered existing users to play the game for free until it was fixed. Even that did not save the decreasing player count. In December
2010 Square Enix had to finally admit that the game was a complete disaster and planned to revamp it for a re-release.
Square Enix issued two apology emails to gamers regarding the poor quality of the game and asked the fans for their patience as the publisher/developer went back to the drawing board with the MMO. The failure of the PC version of the MMO also caused the
PS3 version which was set to be released in 2011 to be delayed.
It seems that the wait is almost over as Square Enix has released a new trailer for FF14 now known as FF14: A Realm Reborn and stated, “This adventure has been rebuilt from the ground up, and centers on the core concept of rebirth, featuring a new world
to explore and storyline to experience.”
No release date has been announced so far but the game is still planned for release on the PC and the PS3. The question is, has Square Enix really learned from their mistakes or will this be another disastrous MMO which will go free to play after a couple
of months.
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