Final Fantasy XIV still playable for free, monthly fee 'still out in the open'
When Square Enix restarted the Final Fantasy XI and XIV servers after the Tohoku earthquake, it offered free play through the month of April. However, Square Enix has actually been offering Final Fantasy XIV play for free since launch -- its free trial period kept being extended and has never stopped. It was extended indefinitely when Square Enix restructured the team and announced plans to overhaul the game.
New producer Naoki Yoshida told Gamasutra that the end of the free trial is "still out in the open," and that the team will only begin accepting payments once a solid plan for improving the game is in place. "Without that, me, personally, as a player wouldn't feel good about asking the player to pay money," he said. The prolonged free trial is "one of the ways that we can show players that we are serious and we are taking it seriously."
It's a bit of a Catch-22 -- as soon as the game stops being free, it'll start being worth the time.
New producer Naoki Yoshida told Gamasutra that the end of the free trial is "still out in the open," and that the team will only begin accepting payments once a solid plan for improving the game is in place. "Without that, me, personally, as a player wouldn't feel good about asking the player to pay money," he said. The prolonged free trial is "one of the ways that we can show players that we are serious and we are taking it seriously."
It's a bit of a Catch-22 -- as soon as the game stops being free, it'll start being worth the time.
