The mobile version of Final Fantasy 14 will “faithfully recreate the storyline” of the long-running MMO for mobile users, the game’s director and producer, Naoki Yoshida, said in a recent video Q&A. Like other “classic” MMOs, Final Fantasy 14 Mobile will go back to the beginning — well, kind of — starting from A Realm Reborn and progressing through storylines introduced in later expansions.
“Players who are already familiar with Final Fantasy 14 will be able to relive the story on mobile,” Yoshida said, “while newcomers will have the opportunity to embark on a new adventure and experience the narrative in its entirety.”
Yoshida explained that since the world of Final Fantasy 14 has progressed across multiple patches and expansions, “a vast amount of content and narrative has already been developed.” Yoshida said that Square Enix and mobile developer Lightspeed Studios “plan to release this content gradually and at a steady pace. We may adjust the release schedule based on player feedback, potentially speeding up the update cadence or maintaining the tempo we start with if that is what players find the most suitable.”
Final Fantasy 14 has received five expansions since Square Enix’s A Realm Reborn relaunch in 2013: Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, Endwalker, and Dawntrail. That’s a lot of content to chew through. Yoshida says that unlike the PC and console versions of FF14, the mobile version is being designed to played in bite-sized chunks and even on the go, to match mobile players’ expectations.
Yoshida hasn’t explained how Final Fantasy 14 Mobile will be monetized, but it doesn’t sound like Square Enix and Lightspeed are going for a subscription model or a gacha-style model employed by games like Genshin Impact.
“Lightspeed Studios have proposed a number of solutions,” Yoshida said of the free-to-play mobile version of FF14. “Their proposals weren’t focused on an approach that prioritized profits by pushing a gacha system. Instead, they proposed from the start a design which respects the essence of Final Fantasy 14, and encourages long-term engagement. Our goal is to ensure that players can enjoy Final Fantasy 14 [Mobile] for a long time while generating small and sustainable revenue allowing as many people as possible to play the game.“
Final Fantasy 14 Mobile will launch in China, followed by a global release “soon after,” Square Enix says.
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