After more than a decade on PC and console, Final Fantasy XIV is coming to smartphones. Square Enix’s hit MMO revealed a mobile version this week that has the potential to bring millions of new players into the rich RPG world of Hydaelyn. It also raises a lot of questions about just how exactly a mobile version of the subscription-based multiplayer game will work.
The port is being developed by Tencent-owned Lightspeed Studios and will be focused on the standard version of FFXIV called A Realm Reborn, which first launched back in 2013 as a complete 2.0 overhaul of the base game. The game doesn’t have a release date yet, but when it arrives it will feature nine job classes, and activities like fishing, Chocobo racing, and the Triple Triad card game.
“This is our latest MMORPG title specifically tailored for the mobile platform Despite these adjustments, Lightspeed Studios is working with tremendous enthusiasm and dedication to faithfully recreate the story, duties, battle content and other aspects of the original game,” director Naoki Yoshida said in a new trailer announcing the project.
Lightspeed Studios also developed the mobile version of PUBG which is full of microtransactions, and Square Enix’s other mobile games are also packed with stamina meters and gacha mechanics. Will a mobile version of FFXIV be free-to-play with cooldown mechanics and new in-game currencies? Will there be a standard monthly subscription fee players can pay to just enjoy the game as they would have otherwise be able to do on console? Will there be any cross-over between the two versions, with existing expansions like Heavensward and Stormblood arriving every year?
The current announcement is a neat surprise but light on details, perhaps because Lightspeed and Square Enix aren’t yet sure exactly how all of those things will work, either. One thing that’s clear is that FFXIV on smartphones is meant to be a casual way to onboard new players into the MMO’s world. “You can experience the game in your own way, whether solo or alongside other players,” a new website for the mobile port reads. “Beginners and mentors, party members, and even adventurers you meet by chance can become your friends.”
For now, FFXIV is easy enough to play on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. A free trial mode lets you experience much of the game before needing to pay anything. And who knows, maybe this upcoming mobile port will be a way for Square Enix to bring the MMORPG to Switch 2 later down the road.
Update 11/20/2024 1:00 p.m. ET: According to an interview with Famitsu, Yoshida said the game will be free-to-play with no gacha elements. Various outfits and mounts, on the other hand, will be purchasable from the in-game shop. “The monetization will be such that all players can enjoy the game for a long time,” the director said via Famitsu.