6 MMOs and online games that turned around after a bad launch

Final Fantasy XIV

What kind of game is Final Fantasy XIV? The subscription-based MMORPG is primarily known for its imaginative and engaging story. Fans of classic MMORPGs will find much to love in Final Fantasy XIV.

Final Fantasy XIV is developed by Square Enix and had its first, disastrous release in 2010. A “second release” was announced for 2013, marking the rebirth of the game.

More on the topic

Now is the perfect time to start playing Final Fantasy XIV

von Irina Moritz

What was the problem with Final Fantasy XIV?

Final Fantasy XIV was practically dead shortly after its release. The MMORPG had such a disastrous start that the developers publicly apologized for the game and shut down the servers.

The first sentence in the review of Final Fantasy XIV by PCGamer read at the time:

The nicest thing that can be said about the Final Fantasy MMO is that it has a good intro film. This film takes less than 10 minutes to load, has a steady frame rate, and you don’t have to navigate a maze of menu screens to watch it. In short, the intro film is everything that the game is not.

Tom Senior, PCGamer, October 18, 2010

PCGamer rated Final Fantasy XIV with a 3/10. At IGN, it at least managed to get a 5.5/10, and Gamespot gave it a 4/10. Other reviews also gave ratings in these low ranges. Things did not look good for the game.

• Especially harsh criticism was directed at the terribly chaotic user interface. It was already a quest in itself to manage the inventory or buy an item.
• The performance was subpar. At times it was so bad that NPCs would just pop in due to lag – and their animations were also not a sight for sore eyes.
• The landscape consisted solely of poorly copied assets.
• It was difficult to follow the story quest at all, as there were hardly any indicators to show what was next.

The situation was so dire that Square Enix, disregarding financial losses, completely pulled the first version 1.0 from the market. Final Fantasy XIV was now set to undergo a revamp for two years.

How was Final Fantasy XIV able to solve its problem?

After the servers were shut down, Square Enix assembled a new team of developers for Final Fantasy XIV. The rework was led by the relatively unknown Naoki Yoshida at that time. He is still the director today.

As financial support, loyal fans were able to create a Legacy Account when version 1.0 was long deemed dead. A hard core of the community firmly believed that the Final Fantasy MMO would make a comeback – they were right.

In 2013, under Yoshida’s team, a new version was released: Final Fantasy XIV – A Realm Reborn.

This was arguably the most significant turning point in the entire history of MMOs. The writers of Final Fantasy XIV decided to incorporate the major server shutdown into the game’s story.

The moon Dalamud descends upon the world, completely destroying it and symbolizing the shutdown of the servers. In the story, the characters of the players who were there are magically sent through time. In the future, they survive the catastrophe.

The trailer released for A Realm Reborn is titled: “End of an Era.” However, the era of Final Fantasy XIV is just beginning.

Recommended editorial content

At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.

Show YouTube content

I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms. Read more about our privacy policy.

Link to the YouTube content

The team managed to turn Final Fantasy XIV into a new game:

• The catastrophic technical flaws were eliminated.
• The user interface was completely overhauled and simplified.
• An aggressive update policy was introduced, keeping Final Fantasy XIV continuously supplied with new content and story.
• Final Fantasy XIV was first released on PS3 in 2013, giving player numbers a significant boost. Other MMORPGs were not yet represented on consoles at that time.

If any game deserves the title “Phoenix from the Ashes,” it is Final Fantasy XIV.

How is Final Fantasy XIV doing today?

Final Fantasy XIV is now considered one of the best MMORPGs on the market. This would have been unexpected in the early days of the game. The story, the atmosphere, the fantastical characters, and the friendly community are repeatedly praised.

Final Fantasy XIV offers everything fans of classic MMORPGs expect: from hardcore raids to a detailed crafting system, engaging story quests, regular content updates, and expansions. New jobs or races are also periodically introduced into the game.

However, there are also veterans who criticize the content cycle of Final Fantasy XIV. Although players are satisfied with the amount of content, they find the consistently identical cycle too monotonous over time:

More on the topic

What is good about Final Fantasy XIV is slowly becoming a problem

von Irina Moritz

Although the game has been around for many years, Final Fantasy XIV is considered one of the best MMORPGs to get into the genre. This is due to various systems. Veterans have an advantage when taking low-level players into a dungeon.

Our MeinMMO reader Erzkanzler wrote in a review about how getting started in Final Fantasy XIV is still worthwhile for newcomers:

More on the topic

Is it still worth starting fresh with Final Fantasy XIV in 2021?

von Erzkanzler