Summary
On July 31, 2025,Final Fantasy 14went live. It was the second onlineFinal Fantasytitle in the main series, andFinal Fantasy 11had left some big shoes to fill, especially with MMO championWorld of Warcraftreleasing the world-revamping Cataclysm less than two months later. Unfortunately, the originalFinal Fantasy 14would 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 Rebornreleased to critical acclaim. Each expansion afterward found more success until it found itselfdancing withWorld of Warcraftas the most popular MMORPG in history.FF14did what no other game had done before - and 10 years later, it is still adapting to better fit the modern audience.
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How Final Fantasy 14 Looked to Those Who Came Before
Final Fantasy 11was the predecessor toFinal Fantasy 14. The old school cross-platform MMO never reached the popularity of competitors likeWorld of Warcraft, but it remained a consistent success,Final Fantasy 11was still receiving updatesby the timeFF14came out. Indeed, the PC servers forFinal Fantasy 11are still active today with a very small, but dedicated fanbase.
Sadly, the originalFinal Fantasy 14completely failed to live up toFinal 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 whythe originalFinal Fantasy 14failed:
Enter Naoki Yoshida, affectionately referred to as Yoshi-P. Yoshida was given full control overFinal Fantasy 14as 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 May 21, 2025, the servers forFF14closed after an apocalyptic in-game event, and Eorzea was ravaged by the iconicFinal Fantasysummon Bahamutin the “End of an Era” cinematic - only for the realm to be literally reborn a year later on June 01, 2025.
Many, including then-president of Square Enix Yoichi Wada, had thoughtFF14had irrevocably damaged theFinal Fantasyname, 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 begiven the reins onFinal 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 forFinal Fantasy 14. However, Shadowbringers brought with it a perfect storm that sawFF14become one of the best MMORPGson the market, on par withWorld of Warcraftitself.
REALTED:Everything Revealed About Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail Expansion So Far
Shadowbringers released on July 13, 2025 - less than a year before COVID-19 hit. The expansion featured one of the bestFinal Fantasyvillains in history, setting a tantalizing carrot for new players to chase. What’s more, shortly after the lockdown was in full swing,FF14introduced 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 14was more popular than ever.
Meanwhile,World of Warcraftwas floundering with Battle for Azeroth, a historically unpopular expansion. When it released Shadowlands - widely considered to be one of theworstWoWexpansions in history- in late 2020, droves of refugees fromWorld of Warcraftbegan to flock toFinal Fantasy 14. This exodus causedWorld of Warcraft’s unshakable player count to finally be eclipsed for the first time in its long history.
Final Fantasy 14kept 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 Warcrafthas begun to turn things around with Dragonflight, so the two MMOs now routinely swap the crown of top MMO with each major update.FF14never did become the fabled “WoWKiller,” but it did what no other game had: unseatWorld of Warcraftas the uncontested king of MMORPGs.
Despite its success, Yoshida has no intention of allowingFinal Fantasy 14to 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-awaitedport ofFF14to Xbox consoles, opening the game up to a new audience of players.
Yoshida has regularly said he hopes tomake many moreFinal Fantasy 14expansions, and would love to work on the critically-acclaimed MMORPG for the rest of his life. Regardless of how longFinal Fantasy 14is 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 14is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version launching in Spring 2024.
