Fans concerned by Final Fantasy XIV mobile rumours
With rumours that a Final Fantasy XIV mobile port is on the way, players are worried about the logistics of playing the fantasy franchise on mobile.
08th Jul 2024 11:15
Images via Square Enix | Apple
Fans concerned by Final Fantasy XIV mobile rumours
With rumours that a Final Fantasy XIV mobile port is on the way, players are worried about the logistics of playing the fantasy franchise on mobile.
08th Jul 2024 11:15
Images via Square Enix | Apple
The Square Enix catalogue is packed with some pretty impressive IPs, but when it comes to chart-topping juggernauts, nothing comes close to touching Final Fantasy. From the humble roots of the OG back on the NES in 1987, it's amazing to see how far Final Fantasy has come.
While some critics say Final Fantasy's peak is behind us, Square Enix is still powering ahead with the franchise. Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida has already floated ideas for FFXVII, and the third part of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy is still to come. But what about a move to mobile?
Final Fantasy XIV rumoured for mobile
As reported by eXputer, Final Fantasy XIV could be coming to mobile. The site claims that Square Enix and Tencent have joined forces. Apparently, both sides signed a letter of intent "to form a strategic alliance" in 2018. Former Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda confirmed projects were underway in 2021, but we've yet to see anything announced.
Adding more to the story, Reuters reported that in December 2023, Tencent cancelled an unannounced mobile game that was based on the NieR series because it couldn't monetise it properly. If we are getting FFXIV on mobile, you can expect monetisation to be a top priority - cue the groans of misery.
Final Fantasy XIV has recently had a new lease of life thanks to the release of its Dawntrail expansion, although there are fears about how its subscription model will transcribe into mobile. Also, with FFXIV being such a beast, we can't imagine it would be easy to create a full mobile port.
These fears have spilled over onto the GamingLeaksandRumours subreddit, with fans concerned about how a FFXIV mobile port would work. One gamer wrote, "FFXIV jobs have a lot of buttons to press, ain't no way that can all fit on a mobile screen. Plus it would be a nightmare trying to navigate so many menus the game has on a small screen."
Someone else added, "Great can't wait for the game to be butchered more," while a third said, "If they do this, it'll be shooting themselves in the foot heavily." Someone simply concluded, "Lol Tencent. It's already f**ked." This likely isn't the response Square Enix was hoping for.
Square Enix doesn't have the best history with Final Fantasy mobile games, with Final Fantasy Tactics S, Final Fantasy Awakening, and Final Fantasy Grandmasters being just a few of the titles that have kicked the bucket. There's some obvious trepidation about trying something as beloved as FFXIV.
Yoshida has previously mulled over the idea of FFXIV coming to the Nintendo Switch successor but suggested it would likely be years away. If we don't get a Switch release but are subjected to a microtransaction-stuffed FFXIV mobile release, you can bet that angry fans will be sharpening their pitchforks.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
