Final Fantasy 14 goes back on digital sale later this month
Square Enix says its "expending a vast amount of financial resources and manpower" to keep the game's servers stable
Final Fantasy 14 and its highly-anticipated expansion, Endwalker, will go back on digital sale on January 25, 2022.
Developer Square Enix temporarily suspended sales for the highly successful MMORPG last month to keep up with the high demand and better manage lengthy queues for fans trying to join the game. To compensate, the publisher gifted players with two weeks additional game time after previously granting an additional seven days just a couple of weeks before that, too.
Now it seems servers have stabilized, and the developer has pulled out all the stops to help keep servers secure, including opening a new Oceanian data center, and expansions of Japanese, European, and North American data centers scheduled throughout 2022.
Our Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida has made an announcement regarding the plan to expand #FFXIV's operations.🌐 https://t.co/tUhWPIfH7H pic.twitter.com/Wu0w5ES16EJanuary 14, 2022
For those wondering, the Home World Transfer Service will also reopen on January 26, 2022, along with the postponed Data Center Travel System, which isn't dated but is "now being planned for a 6.1.x patch".
"Once again, I wish to apologize for the delays to server expansion caused by the global semiconductor shortage," director and producer Naoki Yoshida said in a statement. "The necessity for communities to separate due to the regrouping of Worlds is another inconvenience that may prove unavoidable for some players, and we ask for your understanding as we work to alleviate this issue.
"Despite these hardships, however, we believe this server expansion is a significant step forward in providing players the best gaming experience possible in FFXIV. Work on bolstering the servers will continue well into 2023, expending a vast amount of financial resources and manpower, but we will do our utmost to ensure this endeavor has no negative impact on your ability to play, so we would appreciate your support while you continue on your adventures."
Yoshida recently addressed harassment leveled at development staff and players.
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"I mean, I can take it, even though it doesn't make it less bad," Yoshida said at the time. "But staff members will feel really down after getting those words when they gave their absolute best into trying to create something where everyone can enjoy, and this may end up making them no longer create things that are fun from there on."
In need of a Final Fantasy 14 story recap? If you wish to refresh your memory with a brief FF14 story overview, we've got you covered. Here's everything that transpired from the start of A Realm Reborn to the finale of Shadowbringers.
Head over to our Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker review to see what we made of the MMO's latest expansion.
Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.