Square Enix Has a Real Problem as Final Fantasy 14’s Xbox Launch Suffers Terrible Failure
It's all in the timing, Square Enix.
With more than two months on the Xbox marketplace as the latest addition to its Series X|S roster, Final Fantasy 14 has just not sold as well as Square Enix may have initially hoped. While console exclusivity has been a factor that affected the game’s most popular time, its current failure to excite new players is certainly a reason for Square Enix to rethink its strategy for the franchise.
Although the revised stance on console exclusivity is most welcome, Final Fantasy 14’s long-standing presence as an MMORPG on the PS3 and PC more than a decade ago brought along a host of problems for Square Enix. And it seems that those problems continue to plague the company today despite the game’s most comprehensive version being available at a steep discount on the Xbox marketplace.
Final Fantasy 14’s Flaws and Failure
Final Fantasy 14’s 2010 launch was nothing short of a disaster for Square Enix, with a product that received a widespread negative response from gamers and critics alike. With numerous bugs, a focus on graphics at the expense of quality gameplay, and many other design flaws, the game was doomed to fail from the start on the Xbox.
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This was probably not the best title in its list of Final Fantasy games that Square Enix could have chosen to finally bring the franchise to the latest generation of Xbox consoles. And Final Fantasy 14’s inherent flaws may not be the only factor to consider while trying to understand its dismal show on the Xbox marketplace – it isn’t even among the top 300 best-sellers at the moment!
A Tough Road Ahead for Square Enix
Its baffling choice of release title for the Xbox aside, Square Enix’s commitment to bringing its games to a wider community may need to consider that Xbox players may simply not know how good an MMORPG of Final Fantasy’s caliber can be.
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The company certainly should have seen a poor response to a game that relied heavily on its social component for its gameplay, and being in operation for over a decade, it was nearly certain when launching it on the latest generation of Xbox at the end of the title’s shelf life.
Players of the game on Xbox are bound to find its RPG elements lacking in the absence of other players to liven up the experience.
But with a considerable amount of the game playable for free as part of its trial, perhaps it’s a way for Square Enix to give Xbox players a taste of what the next Final Fantasy title could feel like when it eventually releases simultaneously on all platforms and brings its community of fans back to the table once again.
