Final Fantasy 14 developers, Square Enix, share that they have “no plans” of making the game free to play, regardless of the fact that most of the game already is. Currently, the MMORPG game offers players plenty of content in its free trial, allowing beginners to play the game until they reach level 60. This usually takes a minimum of 60 hours if players keep exploring the main story, but accomplishing everything in the game for free can take up to hundreds of hours.
During an interview with Eurogamer, the director of Square Enix, Naoki Yoshida, made it clear that Final Fantasy 14 will continue with its monthly subscription plan as of right now. With that being said, Square Enix might also continue to expand the game’s already long free trial. You can read his entire response below:
"I believe the free trial will continue to be expanded, but we have no plans of making the client itself free at the moment. Since a huge amount of time and money has been invested in the expansion packages, the revenue from sales of the expansion package itself is still very important in order to continue to make expansions [like Dawntrail ] on this scale. We would like to constantly aim for the best on the business side as well to continue making a lot of content to be enjoyed."
The developers are planning to take Final Fantasy 14 up to level 70 once the Dawntrail expansion launches in Summer 2024. The update is also going to introduce a massive graphical overhaul to the title, along with plenty of brand-new story content.
The Story of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail
The expansion features a transition into an era of the game that comes after the Hydaelyn and Zodiark era. The story of the Dawntrail expansion takes gamers to a faraway land to start the new chapter, which Yoshida has called “the best summer vacation a hero could ever have.” This Final Fantasy 14 expansion mainly focuses on a succession crisis in the city of Tuliyollal.
The transference of power from one Mamool Ja ruler to another is based on a contest, meaning plenty of different factions come together to compete for control. The Scions, the allies who used to have an unshakable bond, will be split apart due to their allegiances in the contest. Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail’s plot also focuses on the search for a strange city of gold that might or might not exist.
It seems like the expansion has taken some inspiration from the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola or El Dorado, two myths that revolve around the existence of golden cities in the Americas. The search for these cities drove many conquerors to madness or death, so we can only imagine what it might do to the Scions or the people of Tural. We’ll have to wait some time to know for sure since the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail expansion will release in Summer 2024.
