“These elements are something unique to FFXIV. “To ensure smooth gameplay on PS3 and lower-spec PCs, we made the rendering options highly customisable so players can adjust the settings to their likings,” says Yoshida. In order to materialise these two goals, the exclusive game engine was built.”ĭuring the three years it took FFXIV to be rebuilt, the latest generation of consoles were quietly gearing up to launch A Realm Reborn would not only need to leapfrog its forerunner’s achievements on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, but also make the technical leap to PS4 and Xbox One.

Also, being a title from the Final Fantasy series, FFXIV is expected to meet the quality of the franchise. “For an MMORPG, it’s necessary to render as many characters as possible simultaneously. “A Realm Reborn and Heavensward are operating on the game engine which was specially built for FFXIV,” he observes. It was this balance that Yoshida and his team strived to equal. While it was lauded for its visual fidelity, it proved to be overly resource-hungry for many FFXIV players. The first FFXIV was developed using Square Enix’s in-house Crystal Tools engine, which also powered the FFXIII trilogy and Dragon Quest X. With the release of A Realm Reborn, we changed literally everything about Final Fantasy XIV. Therefore, the storyline will continue to be our key focus.” We put a lot of focus on making it a story-driven MMORPG, so receiving huge amounts of positive feedback on the Heavensward storyline as well, was one of the happiest things we experienced. “Our intention was to change the game completely. “If we just wanted to change partially, we wouldn’t have chosen the option to recreate the game from scratch,” explains Yoshida. Regular patches and last year’s major expansion, Heavensward, reinforced that FFXIV was here to stay. The work paid off when it hit shelves in August 2013, A Realm Reborn gathered praise for the very aspects for which its predecessor was lambasted and by 2015 had propelled the title’s audience to beyond five million paid subscribers. With all the alterations, FFXIV became the title that can meet the expectations of being the latest title in the Final Fantasy series.”

“The game itself changed but other elements, such as server stability, convenience in forming a party and storyline, were altered the most. “With the release of A Realm Reborn, we changed literally everything about FFXIV,” he recalls.

Final fantasy online a realm reborn