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 Last Fantasy 14, has introduced up the participant numbers for Sq. Enix’s decade-old MMO. Nonetheless, regardless of blended 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 put up on July 4. The put up 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. “Along with your assist, 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 variability 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. Relatively 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 via 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. As a result of these modifications, the enlargement has been extremely divisive. To not point out that except you buy a narrative and degree skip, as a brand new participant you received’t be capable of dive proper into the supposed “new starting” of the MMO. I can’t fairly determine what it might be about this enlargement that bought everyone and their mom to play, versus extra critically beloved and extensively talked about expansions like Shadowbringers.
In any case, I’m comfortable to see the over-a-decade-old MMO thriving. Hopefully a very good portion of those new and returning gamers stick round for no matter is to return after Dawntrail’s contemporary begin.
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