The MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is almost 10 years old, but it is experiencing unprecedented hype in 2021. With the new expansion Endwalker, player numbers on Steam explode in December: With over 94,000 simultaneous active players, a new record has been set. That is more than double the peak players from the previous month.
What is happening with Final Fantasy XIV on Steam?
- Player numbers on Steam saw a surge in the summer: In July 2021, the hype around Final Fantasy XIV began, when major Twitch streamers like Asmongold turned away from World of Warcraft and switched to Final Fantasy XIV – in July 2021, the average number of players on Steam increased by 58.8 %.
- From September onwards, the hype leveled off a bit. This was surely also due to the release of the MMORPG New World. But now in December 2021, the big expansion “Endwalker” is approaching. It is not out yet, but pre-order customers have been able to play since Friday, December 3rd.
- With 94,414 players, Final Fantasy XIV has broken the record for simultaneous active players. A month earlier, the peak was “only” 42,433 players on Steam, less than half.
Dhe amazing thing about this record: At the moment, this is just a preview, because not everyone can enjoy Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker yet, only the pre-order customers.
The real rush for the game begins on Tuesday, December 7th. Then we can expect that the player count of Final Fantasy XIV will experience another increase.
Final Fantasy XIV is at its “hardware” limit – Long queues
What effects does the hype have? As Final Fantasy XIV announces today, the enormous rush for the early access of Endwalker has led to an overload of the service. It is said that there are queues everywhere, and they are only being reduced slowly.
The login attempts for Final Fantasy XIV are at their “hardware” limit, especially during peak times.
The peak times for Europe are stated as 12:00 to 24:00, at least on weekends.
Director apologizes for overload, promises 7 free days
Final Fantasy XIV says: Every player who has a full version and a subscription of Final Fantasy XIV will receive 7 free days. They might even increase the number of free days. This is shared by the Director of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, via a blog post on Sunday, December 5th.
Yoshida apologizes for the “inconveniences” that have arisen for the players. It is said that they are doing everything possible to improve the situation.
Yoshida also points out that those who watch the end credits should move the mouse or press a key occasionally, otherwise they risk an automatic log-out.
Yoshida refutes reports that one can escape an “auto-log-out” due to AFK in Final Fantasy XIV by dancing or hitting a dummy. According to Yoshida, that is not enough to circumvent the mechanic. He considers such statements to be “rumors.”
More information about Endwalker:
