Summary

  • Final Fantasy 14's graphical update aims to attract new players and reassure current ones of ongoing support.
  • Producer Yoshida emphasizes the importance of keeping the game visually appealing and technologically advanced.
  • The upcoming Dawntrail expansion promises exciting additions like the female Hrothgar race and a scheduled release in Summer 2024.

Final Fantasy 14's producer and director, Naoki Yoshida, has explained three reasons for the game's upcoming graphical update, assuring players that the popular MMO is here to stay. With the new Dawntrail expansion on the horizon, exciting things are coming to Final Fantasy 14, including an exciting graphical overhaul of the game.

Since its re-release in 2013, Final Fantasy 14 has received mostly positive reviews from fans and critics and currently sits as one of the most popular games in the genre. Given that the game is now over a decade old, the developers at Square Enix have decided to give Final Fantasy 14 a much needed graphical update to continue enticing new players and keep it relevant among the growing list of titles within the MMO genre.

Final Fantasy 14 Graphical Overhaul Explained

In an interview with Play Magazine, via GamesRadar, Producer Yoshida explained that one of the reasons Final Fantasy 14 is getting a graphical update is to give fans "a sense of ease" and remove any worries about losing support from the developers any time soon. Yoshida also explained that the graphics overhaul is partly to entice new players to check out Final Fantasy 14. The developer acknowledged that, given the game's age, new players may look at it and conclude that Final Fantasy 14's current graphics no longer hold up to today's standards. Yoshida says, "the important thing with MMOs is that we need to constantly get new players in; otherwise, the scale of our game would shrink."

Finally, Yoshida revealed that the third reason for the game's upcoming graphical overhaul is to give the developers a better environment in which to work. Yoshida also acknowledged that, since the game is now two generations old, updating Final Fantasy 14's graphics will allow its developers to bake in new features that aim to benefit both players and the people working on the game, allowing them to use better technology that could advance their careers in the game industry.

"When players would see the graphics updates, they would realize that Final Fantasy 14 will still push on and it will still continue driving forward to the future and take on new challenges."

So, Final Fantasy 14's graphical overhaul is partly aimed at enticing new players to try out the game despite it being released a decade ago. But in the end, it is also a testament to the developer's commitment to reassuring players, present and future, that the game is not going away anytime soon and that Square Enix plans to continue bringing new things to Final Fantasy 14. During the 2024 Tokyo FanFest, Yoshida revealed more details about the upcoming Dawntrail expansion, which included confirmation that the female Hrothgar would be added to Final Fantasy 14. Luckily for fans, the Dawntrail expansion for Final Fantasy 14 is scheduled to roll out in Summer 2024.

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Final Fantasy 14 (2010)
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Released
August 27, 2013
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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ESRB
T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
Square Enix
Publisher(s)
Square Enix
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Franchise
Final Fantasy
Genre(s)
MMORPG