Final Fantasy 11 producer and director Yoji Fujito has revealed that had it not been for a resurgence of players around the game's 20th anniversary in 2022, there was a "real possibility" support for the MMORPG would've come to an end.
In an interview with Dengeki Online (thanks, Automaton), Fujito suggested that ahead of the 20th anniversary in May 2022, Square Enix had considered shifting the game into "maintenance mode" in or around 2024, effectively cancelling all ongoing development of the decades-old game.
"There was a real possibility that 2024 would be the year updates would come to an end, with the game shifting into a so-called maintenance mode, where only system upkeep would be performed," Fujito said, suggesting the game could have been retired when The Voracious Resurgence storyline had finished up.
However, as the 20th anniversary arrived and fans jumped back into Final Fantasy 11 — even after The Voracious Resurgence wrapped up — Fujito realized there was still "a lot of support" for the game.
"We thought, if The Voracious Resurgence wrapped up and Final Fantasy 11 clearly started losing its momentum, then maybe we really should prepare to end it," he added. "But that didn’t happen. I took this as a sign that we should keep running the game."
In other Square Enix news, the developer recently reaffirmed that Kingdom Hearts 4 was still on the way even though Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, the GPS-based action-RPG for mobile, had been canceled.
"We’re currently working hard on Kingdom Hearts 4 and will continue pouring ourselves into the game’s development. We’re dedicated to making this an experience that lives up to your expectations!"
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
