Final Fantasy XIV | |
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North American cover art, featuring CG artwork of a male Hyur.
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Developer(s) | Square Enix |
Publisher(s) | Square Enix |
Director(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Designer(s) | Nobuaki Komoto |
Artist(s) | Akihiko Yoshida |
Writer(s) | Yaeko Sato |
Composer(s) | |
Series | Final Fantasy |
Engine | Crystal Tools |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
Release date(s) | September 30, 2010 |
Genre(s) | MMORPG |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Aggregate scores | |
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Aggregator | Score |
GameRankings | 50% (22 reviews) |
Metacritic | 49/100 (26 reviews) |
Review scores | |
Publication | Score |
1UP.com | D+ |
CVG | 6.2/10 |
Eurogamer | 5/10 |
GameSpot | 4/10 |
GameSpy | |
GameTrailers | 4.2/10 |
IGN | 5.5/10 |
PC Gamer (US) | 30% |
Final Fantasy XIV (ファイナルファンタジーXIV Fainaru Fantajī Fōtīn?), also known as Final Fantasy XIV Online, was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for Microsoft Windows personal computers, developed and published by Square Enix in 2010. It is the fourteenth entry in the main Final Fantasy series and the second MMORPG in the series after Final Fantasy XI. Set in the fantasy realm of Eorzea, players take control of a customized avatar as they explore the land and are caught up in both an invasion by the hostile Garlean Empire and the threat of the Primals, the deities of the land's Beastmen tribes. Eventually, they are embroiled in a plot by a Garlean Legatus to destroy the Primals by bringing one of the planet's moons down on Eorzea.
The game had been in development since 2005 under the codename "Rapture", and was announced in 2009 for Windows and the PlayStation 3 video game console. It ran on Square Enix's Crystal Tools middleware engine, which was adjusted to suit the game's specifications. During development, the team carried over multiple aesthetic elements from Final Fantasy XI while attempting to create something that stood on its own. Due to several factors, the development was beset by problems that would later have drastic effects on the game. Attempts to bring the game to Xbox 360 consoles fell through due to disagreements with Microsoft about the use of Xbox Live.
After its alpha test and a delayed beta test, the game went live on September 30, 2010Naoki Yoshida as producer and director. Yoshida decided to make marginal improvements before shutting down servers in favor of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, an entirely new version of the game which was developed simultaneously.
, remaining active until its servers were closed on November 11, 2012 . At launch, the game received an overwhelmingly negative response: while the graphics and music were praised, other aspects were unanimously panned, including the gameplay, interface, and the general impression of the game being unfinished. Critic and fan backlash caused Square Enix to suspend subscription fees, indefinitely postpone the PlayStation 3 version, and replace the development team leadership, with