It’s been a pretty good year for Square Enix, and the team behind Final Fantasy XIV are rounding out 2019 with the announcement that XIV Online has shot past 18 million registered players. In the summer of 2018, the game only had around 14 million, so this is some excellent growth, bolstered by the release of this year’s Shadowbringers expansion pack.
The news came as details on Final Fantasy XIV’s forthcoming Patch 5.2 were also released:
● New Main Scenario Quests – The much-lauded narrative of Shadowbringers continues, as the Warrior of Darkness and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn continue uncovering the mysteries of The First.
● New Equipment Enhancement Quest Series – This new quest series will feature regular updates from Patch 5.2 onward, allowing players to obtain powerful equipment as they learn more about the Hrothgar homeland, the Bozja Citadel.
● New Trial: The Ruby Weapon – Players can challenge Ruby Weapon in both normal and extreme difficulties.
● New Chronicles of a New Era Quest – Discover the lore behind the new Weapon series.
● New Raid: Eden’s Verse – The second chapter in the Eden raid series will feature challenging new battles in both normal and savage difficulties.
● Ishgardian Restoration Update – The next update in this content for Disciples of the Hand and Land will feature gatherer-specific content in the Diadem, high-level crafting challenges, a new ranking system, and more.
● New Beast Tribe Quests – The Qitari will provide new quests geared towards Disciples of the Land classes.
● New Dungeon: Anamnesis Anyder – Tackle this new challenge alongside fellow adventurers, or a party of non-player characters using the Trust system.
● Job Adjustments, Adjustments to PvP Actions, New Game+ Updates, Numerous Crafter and Gatherer Updates, and More
The Witcher’s production company, Hivemind, are currently working on a live-action Final Fantasy XIV TV series alongside its Henry Cavill-starring Netflix project, which will hopefully help to extend the game’s lifespan.
“Our hope is that we build something cool that goes for a long time,” said founder Dinesh Shamdasani at this year’s NYCC. “Final Fantasy XIV is, by virtue of its format, able to continue to expand itself, add itself in there. Hopefully it can be some cross-pollination where they can say, ‘This is a new expansion,’ and we say, ‘Great, we’re going to lean into that in the new season’ or ‘we’re going to lead to this (in the) new season,’ and they say, ‘Great, we’re going to do an expansion that includes those elements,’ and it can feel more (of) a piece, which is rare.”
Wireframe #28 is out now
