Final Fantasy XIV Bringing Subscriptions Back in Late November

by Alex Donaldson on 14 October, 2011

Square Enix have announced that subscription fees are to return to Final Fantasy XIV later this year now that a vast majority of the launch issues with the game have been taken care of.

"It is my hope that we will continue to receive your support as we will need to bring the unbilled period to a close between late November and early December 2011, and introduce our subscription-based billing system," Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada told fans in a written statement on the game's official website.

"I appreciate that this decision will not be popular, but it is a necessary step in building upon the foundation our fans and development team have made together and to realize the full potential of FINAL FANTASY XIV."

All automatic subscription renewals have been turned off, so fans who signed up when the game was free to check it out need not worry about their card being billed.

Final Fantasy XIV launched with the intention of having subscription fees but Square Enix made the decision to waive the subscription fees entirely for an 'indefinite' period thanks to the game's broken state. Many of the original development team were quietly 'moved on' and replaced with a new team with the hope that fresh blood would help the game's post-release development.

"We have tackled unprecedented challenges maintaining the unbilled period, the frequency and scale of patches, and an open line of communication with the player community—all while completely remaking the game at the same time," current Producer Naoki Yoshida said in another statement on the official website.

"I promise that we will continue to give all FINAL FANTASY XIV players our full attention as we do everything in our power to provide a high-quality service, and as such, would like ask for your continued encouragement and support."

There's even more from Square Enix over on the official Final Fantasy XIV website. Remember you can see all the screens, videos and artwork we have from Final Fantasy XIV over in the Media Vault.