Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn Hits 2 Million Subscribers

I wasted hundreds of hours of my life away on Final Fantasy XI, the first MMORPG to be released under the Final Fantasy banner. Well, I say wasted away, it was not a waste. The game was remarkably enjoyable in its original incarnation. It did have to be toned down quite a lot after the launch of World of Warcraft as the majority of people who were landing on the MMORPG scene were looking for a game that they could blitz through quickly as opposed to the slow method that made FFXI so brilliant (you literally had to ‘party’ with others in order to succeed!). As you can probably guess, the announcement of the second MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV thrilled me. I literally could not wait for its launch. As you know, this ended in disappointment.

The launch of Final Fantasy XIV was a complete disaster. It was slated in gaming media all over the globe, and many new players disappeared after their first month. This caused Square Enix to take prompt action. They literally redesigned the game…in just a couple of years. This resulted in the creation of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. This game was far superior and seems to be attracting more players than the original incarnation could ever have hoped for.

The game was launched at the tail end of 2013 on the PC and PlayStation 3 (this is a cross-platform online game). In October of 2013 it was announced that the game had already reached 1.5 million subscriber around the globe (the main fan base for this game can be found in Asia). Many people believed that this number would tail off pretty quickly. After all, the majority of MMORPG games tend to have high numbers in the first few months before dropping off to the point where the developer has very little choice but to offer a free to play model (something which I can never see Square Enix seriously considering. After all, Final Fantasy XI is the most profitable title that they have ever launched, and they are most likely looking to beat that record with subscriptions on this game). Well, I am pleased to announce that those who figured numbers would drop to a couple of hundred thousand were wrong. The game has now reached a grand total of 2 million active subscribers, and the number is increasing by the day.

The increase in subscription numbers can be put down to the game’s recent launch on the PlayStation 4 (again, this game is cross-platform). It is likely that the subscription number will continue to grow. Quite honestly, the current incarnation of the game is one of my favourite MMORPGs of all time. There is so much to do, and the story is absolutely amazing. If you have yet to check out Final Fantasy: A Real Reborn then I really suggest that you do. It is likely you will be surprised at its quality.