Final Fantasy XIV released to a bevy of complaints and criticisms, even leading one Square Enix stockholder to ragequit and sell off his stock, causing a dip in Square Enix’s stock shares for a day.
Square Enix has taken note of the numerous complaints and the overall poor reception the game has received from critics and users alike, and has extended the free trial another thirty days to all users who have purchased a character prior to October 25th, 2010.
A release on the official FFXIV website states:
Since the official launch of service on September 30, 2010, we have received a wealth of constructive feedback from the FINAL FANTASY XIV community, and the development and management teams would like to take this opportunity to express their sincerest gratitude. For those who purchased the collector’s edition and began to play one week before official service began, the month-long free play period is drawing to a close. Considering the nature of much of the feedback we received, however, and the current state of the game, we have decided to extend the free trial period for all users.
Eligibility to gain the thirty day extension is pretty lenient, simply requiring users to have purchased a character before October 25th, 2010, and also stating accounts that have been terminated to due User Agreement infractions won’t be eligible.
On top of the trial extension olive branch Square Enix is offering to players, FFXIV director Nobuaki Komoto has promised a steady stream of game updates once every three months, along with user interface and server lag improvements.
With certain other wildly popular MMOs due for a fairly significant update in the near future, Final Fantasy XIV enthusiasts should have no trouble expecting Square Enix to keep its word and deliver constant updates in order to bolster and garner a loyal fan base before everyone flocks to a certain cataclysmic December 7th event.
(The Lodestone via Eurogamer)
