It’s regular for an MMO’s peaks and valleys in participant counts to correlate with enlargement releases and the fallow years in between. So it isn’t stunning that Dawntrail, the brand new enlargement to Ultimate Fantasy 14, has introduced up the participant numbers for Sq. Enix’s decade-old MMO. Nonetheless, regardless of combined reactions from gamers, individuals maybe weren’t anticipating it to set a brand new document for concurrent gamers.
The information comes from FF14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida, delivered in an official weblog publish on July 4. The publish is usually about upcoming modifications to the sport’s many roles, however within the intro Yoshida takes a second to thank Warriors of Mild for exploring Dawntrail, and divulges the excellent news about participant numbers. “Together with your help, we have been in a position to attain a document variety of concurrent customers we’ve not seen for the reason that launch of A Realm Reborn in 2013,” he writes. A Realm Reborn was the relaunch of FF14 after the 1.0 launch was shuttered on the finish of 2012, though Yoshida doesn’t give any particular figures.
The information is fairly stunning to me, contemplating the range in reception to Dawntrail. The enlargement is one thing of a brand new starting for the MMO, after wrapping up a decade-long story with Endwalker in 2021. Quite than the universe-ending threats Warriors of Mild have confronted prior to now couple of expansions, Dawntrail is a return to good-old-fashion adventuring, this time by way of the Latin American-inspired locale of Tural.
The brand new content material has decrease stakes than earlier expansions, and makes the participant a supporting character, permitting focus to shine on new character, Wuk Lamat. Because of these modifications, the enlargement has been extremely divisive. To not point out that except you buy a narrative and degree skip, as a brand new participant you received’t have the ability to dive proper into the supposed “new starting” of the MMO. I can’t fairly work out what it might be about this enlargement that bought all people and their mom to play, versus extra critically beloved and broadly talked about expansions like Shadowbringers.
In any case, I’m completely satisfied to see the over-a-decade-old MMO thriving. Hopefully a very good portion of those new and returning gamers stick round for no matter is to return after Dawntrail’s contemporary begin.
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