Square Enix is getting ready to release an expansion for its massively multiplayer online role playing game, Final Fantasy XIV. The expansion, which will feature all new content and is part of the 3.0 update to the game, has been titled “Heavensward” because of in-game activities and characters that will now include, of all things, dragons and a new map that takes players above the ground level of the current playable region.
The expansion was announced in October 2014 at Square Enix’s three-day FanFest event in Las Vegas, where die-hard fans were able to sample new content and be the first ones privy to information about new jobs and gameplay. In the expanded game, players will be allowed to build airships and explore new maps, and changes to the battle system are coming as well. The new content will be available on June 23 and will be playable on PC, Mac and Playstation platforms.
Square Enix is the video game and entertainment company responsible for popular franchises like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, and it holds a special place in the heart of many online gamers. The Final Fantasy: Heavensward expansion will be popular among current players and new ones alike. The game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, said in an interview with video game magazine Kotaku that his goal is to guide new players to his arena with the help of word-of-mouth marketing from current fans.
Booming Market for MMORPGs
This particular game is Square Enix’s second foray with Final Fantasy into the MMO world, but it is hardly the only one on the market at this time. The history of the MMO can be traced back to 1974 with Mazewar, a simple game of maps that allowed players to interact with each other, according to the Examiner. However, MMORPGs skyrocketed into popularity in the early 2000s with the advent of Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, and myriad other games since have tried to emulate its astonishing success.
Today, the MMO market is huge. According to an infographic from Newzoo, there were an estimated 400 million people around the world who play these types of games in 2012, and these PC and platform gamers spent around $13 million. In the U.S. alone, from 2011 to 2012 spending on MMOs went up 14 percent. The most popular kinds of games: fantasy role-playing ones.
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