Square Enix currently has no plans for a sequel to Final Fantasy XIV or a new Final Fantasy MMO, as it appears that support for the game will continue for a while.
At Gamescom, German website Spieletipps interviewed Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida and the MMO’s main story writer Banri Oda. One of the subjects of the interview is when the game will launch for the Xbox One. Square Enix is reportedly already in talks with Microsoft, but an actual release date, if it will ever happen, seems a ways away.
Yoshida and Oda were then asked regarding the possibility of a sequel to Final Fantasy XIV, considering that the game was originally released in 2010. The developers shot down the idea, saying that there are no plans for another Final Fantasy MMO at the time.
Yoshida and Oda did not explain their answer, but the focus on Final Fantasy XIV instead of a sequel or a new MMO is understandable given the game’s continued popularity after it was relaunched as Final Fantasy XIV: Realm Reborn in 2013. The success of Shadowbringers, the game’s new expansion, shows that the community is still going strong.
While the developers did not reveal any future plans for Final Fantasy XIV, they did mention that they are planning to stick with the MMO’s current subscription model. According to Yoshida, the current structure allows for the development of new content at a fast pace and a wide scale, which is great to hear for players who have invested a lot of time and effort into the game.
With support to continue for what appears to be years, it remains to be seen if Final Fantasy XIV will live on in the next-generation consoles, the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Scarlett, either as direct ports or through backward compatibility.
Final Fantasy XIV is not slowing down, which is a bit surprising considering that the next game in the long-running franchise, Final Fantasy XV, saw some story DLC and features shelved. Square Enix said in December last year that Episodes Aranea, Luna, and Noctis were no longer happening, nor was the promised level-building tool and Mod Organizer improvements for the RPG’s PC version.
