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Final Fantasy XIV Hits Record Subscriber Number After Stormblood Expansion's Launch
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda revealed at a financial briefing session on August 4 that the Final Fantasy XIV online game's number of paid subscribers was at a record high in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, which is running from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. Matsuda said the launch of the game's Stormblood expansion for PC and PlayStation 4 in Japan, North America, and Europe on June 20 contributed to the increase in subscribers.
The briefing revealed that Square Enix's net income in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) segment of digital entertainment was 9.3 billion yen (about US$84.0 million) in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018. The segment had earned between 5.4 and 5.9 billion yen (US$48.8 million to US$53.3 million) in each of the four quarters of the previous fiscal year.
The company hopes the net income in the segment will increase further with the launch of the Dragon Quest X online game's Dragon Quest X: 5000-nen no Tabiji, Haruka Naru Furusato e (The 5000 Year Journey, to the Faraway Home Town) expansion, which is slated for November 16. Square Enix will also release the game's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions on August 17 and September 21, respectively. The game will celebrate its fifth anniversary next year.
Stormblood is Final Fantasy XIV's second expansion. It features Ala Mhigo as its backdrop, and the storyline centers on the city's liberation. XIIth Legion Legatus Zenos yae Galvus, who is the ruler of the occupied city, serves as one of the enemies players will face.
In addition, the expansion raises the level cap from 60 to 70 and adds new dungeons, new high-level raids, new alliance raids, and new gear. The expansion also lets players swim and dive, and increases players' inventory size. Other additions include a fourth residential district, new crafting recipes, new areas, a new primal, and changes to the battle system. Nobuo Uematsu composed the theme song for the new expansion.
[Via Siliconera]
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