Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix’s massively popular MMO based on the long-running franchise, has seen a surge of increased interest since the release of its big new expansion, titled Endwalker, last month.
So much so that the publisher has been forced to pull the game from digital and physical storefronts while it works to resolve congestion issues and data servers that simply can’t keep up with the influx of excited players.
In a blog post, the game’s Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida announced the temporary suspension, which is being phased in gradually as Square Enix works alongside retailers and advertising partners to remove the game from sale as well as pull any current marketing that it can.
“These temporary suspensions will be phased in over the next few days as we work with our retail partners. We will be coordinating with them as swiftly as possible, but please bear in mind that this will be a gradual process,” writes Yoshida-san.
“We will also be suspending all new advertisements. However, it will not be possible to suspend some of the advertisements due to the nature of how they were set up. We appreciate your patience and understanding regarding this matter.”
Square Enix is also granting players an extra 14 days of free playtime on top of the 7 days they’d already handed out when congestion issues first began.
