It’s regular for an MMO’s peaks and valleys in participant counts to correlate with enlargement releases and the fallow years in between. So it isn’t shocking that Dawntrail, the brand new enlargement to Remaining Fantasy 14, has introduced up the participant numbers for Sq. Enix’s decade-old MMO. Nonetheless, regardless of combined reactions from gamers, folks maybe weren’t anticipating it to set a brand new file for concurrent gamers.
The information comes from FF14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida, delivered in an official weblog publish on July 4. The publish is generally about upcoming modifications to the sport’s many roles, however within the intro Yoshida takes a second to thank Warriors of Gentle for exploring Dawntrail, and divulges the excellent news about participant numbers. “Together with your help, we have been in a position to attain a file variety of concurrent customers we’ve not seen for the reason that launch of A Realm Reborn in 2013,” he writes. A Realm Reborn was the relaunch of FF14 after the 1.0 launch was shuttered on the finish of 2012, though Yoshida doesn’t give any particular figures.
The information is fairly surprising to me, contemplating the range in reception to Dawntrail. The enlargement is one thing of a brand new starting for the MMO, after wrapping up a decade-long story with Endwalker in 2021. Moderately than the universe-ending threats Warriors of Gentle have confronted prior to now couple of expansions, Dawntrail is a return to good-old-fashion adventuring, this time by means of the Latin American-inspired locale of Tural.
The brand new content material has decrease stakes than earlier expansions, and makes the participant a supporting character, permitting focus to shine on new character, Wuk Lamat. Because of these modifications, the enlargement has been extremely divisive. To not point out that until you buy a narrative and stage skip, as a brand new participant you gained’t be capable of dive proper into the supposed “new starting” of the MMO. I can’t fairly determine what it could be about this enlargement that obtained everyone and their mom to play, versus extra critically beloved and extensively talked about expansions like Shadowbringers.
In any case, I’m completely satisfied to see the over-a-decade-old MMO thriving. Hopefully an excellent portion of those new and returning gamers stick round for no matter is to come back after Dawntrail’s recent begin.
