According to Yoji Fujito, the producer and director of Final Fantasy XI, ongoing support for the game could have ended in 2024. Player interest was high enough that Square Enix ultimately decided not to stop supporting the MMO, though, and a series of new updates is expected throughout this spring and summer.
Final Fantasy XI was the first MMO in the long-running RPG series, and it first launched for PS2 in Japan on May 16, 2002. Live-service support for the MMO, which is now played on PC, has continued ever since. Final Fantasy XI, which GameSpot reviewed all the way back in 2003, has survived Square’s merger with Enix, the disastrous launch and lauded rebirth of Final Fantasy XIV, and all of the other changes in the MMO space that have happened in the 23 years since its launch. It’s not the most popular MMO, but it has a dedicated and passionate fanbase.
That dedicated fanbase ultimately saved the game. In an interview with Dengeki Online, translated by Automaton Media, Fujito explained that Square Enix had previously considered ending support for Final Fantasy XI by 2024 following the end of The Voracious Resurgence storyline.
“There was a real possibility that 2024 would be the year updates would come to an end, with the game shifting into a so-called maintenance mode, where only system upkeep would be performed,” Fujito said. “We thought, if The Voracious Resurgence wrapped up and FFXI clearly started losing its momentum, then maybe we really should prepare to end it. But that didn’t happen. I took this as a sign that we should keep running the game.”
Ultimately, Fujito says the fact that Final Fantasy XI has continued to receive “a lot of support” from players is the reason why Square Enix is still committed to supporting it now. A series of updates for Year 23 of service was recently revealed too, including a new High-Tier Mission Battlefield called The Orb’s Radiance, a new Master Trial called Wing of War, the ability to pay to change your character’s race, gender, face, hair, and size, gamepad configuration support, and more.
Final Fantasy XI is available on PC, and support for it does not seem to be ending anytime soon.
