Final Fantasy 14's Endwalker expansion was one that drew the attention of MMO fans everyone. It had garnered so much attention that the developer had to literally stop selling copies so that the game could handle the influx of players. Despite its successes, this may have come with one unique drawback.
With such fame comes increasingly higher bars that Final Fantasy 14 has set for itself. Many may expect for the next series of expansions and updates to somehow outdo its successes. In that regard, Final Fantasy 14 has created its own unique hurdle to get over.
Recreating the Success of Final Fantasy 14's Endwalker
There are a variety of factors that explain why Endwalker did so well. Famous MMORPG streamers such as Asmongold compounded the amount of attention the game received, but the biggest reason the Endwalker expansion did so well is that it was the end to a storyline that had been in the works for nearly a decade. Endwalker took many of the story elements and fan favorite characters found in previous expansions and created a wondrous and powerful combination of it all. In that regard, the past few expansions had essentially all been building up towards Final Fantasy 14's Endwalker story. The level of quality it brought would impress many players, hence its critical acclaim and sudden burst in popularity.
The game is now a far cry from the let-down it was on release, but that was the result of nearly 10 years of effort and storytelling in the making. While the collective efforts of Final Fantasy 14's director, Naoki Yoshida and his team can hardly be understated, it has created a very high bar that may be difficult to get over. The next expansion may not measure up to the quality of storytelling and build-up found in Endwalker. Recreating or even surpassing this success may take much more work than some might anticipate.
One way Square Enix could hope to do this is to continue the formula that it has been working with since the game's relaunch in 2013. Rather than trying to one-up an expansion that was over a decade in the making, it should aim to recreate the circumstances that spawned it. After all, Endwalker came from the careful and passionate planning of storylines found in previous expansions. The next few expansions could do the same thing, building up a storyline over the years that eventually results in an exciting climax several years from now. This key Final Fantasy 14 design philosophy has worked well for the game thus far.
With all of that said, it may not be as difficult or take as long for Final Fantasy 14 to do this as previously illustrated. After all, the game has begun to explore some its deeper concepts, such as Final Fantasy 14's the Twelve and the Void. The MMO still has plenty of leftover ideas to delve into, all offering their own unique storylines to follow. While it may not offer the same kind of story that Endwalker did, they do provide hints of mystery and intrigue that fans have come to love from the game. Overall, the developer may find similar success in exploring these concepts to further flesh out the world of Final Fantasy 14.
Perhaps a more intriguing question would be when the next expansion will rear its head. Considering Final Fantasy 14's consistent patches, it is likely in the works to some extent, but when it may come out is still up in the air.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
