Final Fantasy XIV delays upcoming update due to COVID-19 restrictions

By Tyler Treese April 10, 2020

The Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers‘ 5.3 update won’t be arriving on time due to the impact of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, Square Enix announced Friday. Originally set to release in mid-June, the studio has now pushed back the update back indefinitely. The team hopes the delay will only be one month, but wasn’t able to give a more specific time frame due to the uncertainty of the situation.

In an oen letter, director Naoki Yoshida explained why fans of the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game will have to wait on the expansion’s third major update.

Related Videos

“We are terribly sorry for the disappointment this may cause our players, as we know you look forward to new patches,” Yoshida told fans. “However, it is also important to prioritize the physical and mental health of our development team, without whom we would never be able to release the quality updates and features you expect from FFXIV, so we ask for your understanding as we adjust our schedule in accordance with the situation.”

Tokyo has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus, and the studio reportedly can’t keep up with the regular pace of development as everyone is now working from home. While those issues didn’t impact the recently released 5.25 patch, that update was already nearly complete before the pandemic spread, and some employees were still able to safely visit the office.

Yoshida outlined other issues the Final Fantasy XIV team is currently facing. Voice actors are unable to record their lines in Europe, worldwide city lockdowns have forced a delay of graphical assets, and both the production and quality assurance teams are operating at lower capacity due to shelter-in-place limitations.

Server maintenance for the game will still occur regularly, although Yoshida told fans that support desk inquiries may take longer than usual. Bug fixes might also take longer to implement. Square Enix said it will communicate with fans and asks for their patience.

“While many of us worldwide remain inside our homes,” Yoshida continued in his letter, “we should remember to let joy and laughter fill them ─ because in times like these, it’s especially important to find happiness where you can.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Gaming

Final Fantasy VII’s mobile battle royale game is shutting down

Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier

Square Enix has announced that its mobile battle royale game Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier will shut down on January 11, 2023.

"After almost a year of jumping around on chocobos, mashing it up in melee battles, and sniping from the rooftops of Midgar Undercity, it is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the end of service for Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier. We will be ending service at 07:00 UTC on January 11, 2023," Square Enix explains on the game's website.

Gaming

Arcadian Atlas could finally scratch my Final Fantasy Tactics itch

Arcadian Atlas cutscene

I recently fished my family's old PlayStation 3 Slim from my dad's bedroom, set it up in front of my TV, and promptly sampled a smorgasbord of classic PlayStation-era JRPGs from the halcyon days of my childhood. I scampered through Legend of Legaia, Wild Arms 2, Legend of Dragoon, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, but wait ... where was my copy of Final Fantasy Tactics? Absolute horror washed over me as I realized the greatest jewel of my childhood legacy was misplaced or potentially gone for good, like Gollum mourning the loss of his precious ring. But hey, at least the stylistically similar Arcadian Atlas is set to release next year, meaning the Final Fantasy FOMO is less potent than it would be otherwise.

Arcadian Atlas Official Trailer (Gamescom 2021)

Gaming

The DioField Chronicle was inspired by League of Legends, not Final Fantasy Tactics

The DioField Chronicle's 3D cutscenes

The DioField Chronicle, a new IP developed by Lancarse and published by Square Enix, is the latest in a growing trend of tactical RPG games. While plenty of those kinds of games have come out this year already (including Triangle Strategy, Relayer, and Digimon Survive). The DioField Chronicle intends to put its own spin on the genre and stand out in a crowded field.

To get a sense of how The DioField Chronicle is setting itself apart, I spoke to Lancarse development director and battle designer Fukui Hirofumi, Square Enix producer Shigeyuki Hirata, and art director Kumagai Takahiro. The team members discussed The DioField Chronicle’s gameplay influences, art direction, and how they created a newcomer-friendly strategy game in a daunting genre.
But it was me, Dio(Field)!
The DioField Chronicle was first revealed during PlayStation’s State of Play presentation in March. When the game’s reveal trailer premiered, viewers thought it could be a new Final Fantasy Tactics game. Then, at the end of the trailer, the game’s title card appeared, showing that it was instead a new IP entirely.