Final Fantasy XIV is enjoying quite the boost in popularity, with the MMO surging past 10 million players last month. Due to the recent wave of new players, the director of the game seems to think that the MMO can easily continue operating for the foreseeable future.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz about the game and its recent major milestone, series director Naoki Yoshida seems to think that Final Fantasy XIV has what it takes to last for a long time, and even possibly challenge the likes of World of Warcraft.
As it stands, World of Warcraft is the king of MMOs, having hit 12 million players at its peak. Final Fantasy XIV is the closest any MMO has come to reaching that mark, and Yoshida knows there’s still much to be done. “That’s much higher and further away to reach,” he said. ”We respect [Blizzard] and we do of course want to catch them up, but we want to take it one step at a time. I don’t think we’re at that point just yet.”
When asked about the future of the series, Yoshida admitted he does think about how long the MMO can last, and according to him, there is a clear goal in his mind. “I would like to continue operating Final Fantasy XIV for 10 years,” he says. “That’s the clear image I have in mind. Now that we’ve passed our fourth year, we’re aiming for that 10-year mark. In terms of how many expansions we’d like to release, it’s not clearly determined just yet but if the title is successful, it would be nice to release an expansion every two years or so. We’re gradually making preparations to plan for future expansions.”
With the release of the latest expansion to the game, Stormblood, the excitement behind Final Fantasy XIV only continues to rise, and only time will tell if they can reach the 10 year mark and challenge World of Warcraft.
Final Fantasy XIV is out now for the PlayStation 4 and PC.
[Source: GameIndustry.biz]
