Final Fantasy XIV crosses 14 million cumulative players worldwide

Square Enix has announced their mega-popular MMORPG  Final Fantasy XIV recently crossed 14 million cumulative players worldwide, with 4 million joining the experience just in the past year. This news occurs just as the game celebrated its 5th anniversary earlier this week. Not bad for a game that was nearly canceled after its failed 1.0 launch, hmm? 

Here's a special message from director and producer Naoki Yoshida:

Although the original Final Fantasy XIV failed to meet expectations, through the support of people in the media, the companies we have worked with, and of course our dedicated players, we were able to launch A Realm Reborn in 2013. Final Fantasy XIV was indeed reborn, and over the course of these past five years, it has grown to become the title that we all know and love today. I cannot thank you enough.

We in the development and operations teams have been working at full capacity ever since the launch of A Realm Reborn, and while we have made our share of missteps along the way, the Warriors of Light continue to spur us onward.

There are many new gaming experiences and epic tales that we wish to share with you all. We will be working harder than ever to expand the world of Final Fantasy XIV, where players form lasting bonds with one another through their adventures.

Final Fantasy XIVis the result of everyone’s passion and commitment, including all of you Warriors of Light, and I hope you will continue to support us as we build this world together.

In honor of this important milestone and its 5th anniversary, Naoki Yoshida also revealed he will be hosting a 14-hour live stream for Final Fantasy XIV on August 31 (aka today) at 8:00 PM PT. Special guests will include members of the development team, voice actors for the game, and Capcom's Ryozo Tsujimoto who will chat about the Monster Hunter: World X FFXIV collaboration. Yoshida will also cover the upcoming Patch 4.4: Prelude in Violet update in the newest Letter from the Producer Live. You can either catch it on YouTube, Twitch, or Niconico.

You can find out more details regarding other 5th Anniversary celebratory activities over here.

Finally, Square Enix has shared this illustration designed by Yoshiteru Tsujino, the artist behind the Far East of Eden RPG series, in honor of the anniversary: