There is a bit of bad news when it comes to those who were waiting for Final Fantasy XIV mobile. The game was shut down, or at least cancelled. That sucks, because the game was initially released just for China, and now that will be shut down, and the global release is cancelled.
Why was the game cancelled?
First of all, the alleged reason is that both Tencent (the publisher for FF14 Mobile) and Square Enix (the IP owner) had mutually agreed to terminate the contract. The global release is gone, and the one running in China will be shut down by the end of September of this year. However, some theorize that there are several reasons why they terminated the contract, leading to the shutdown.
IP disagreement
Tencent allegedly wanted to make some alterations to the IP. This didn’t mean that the game would be different, but it would have that Tencent flavor to it. Square Enix didn’t agree to it, which led to the termination.
Lack of an audience and profit
The original FF 14 is a game that runs on a subscription. FF 14 mobile is free to play with some optional microtransactions. This led to the fact that not enough people were spending on the game. We could say the game was so good that people didn’t need a reason to pay for those things. The lack of profit is a sign that they didn’t want to pursue this project anymore.
How different was FF 14 mobile to the original one?
The game is shutting down, but we can still discuss what made both games different, or some similarities. That doesn’t include that one is for mobile, and the other is for PC and consoles.
Story
The story is the same as the original game but only up to the end of A Realm Reborn. It is basically ARR, but it has been streamlined to give the player a better experience. Regardless of the class, players will all start in the same city of Ul’dah.
Locations
There are some minor tweaks to the locations, but the map is entirely the same. If you played the original, then you would know where to go in terms of the areas in the mobile port. They’re just adapted to fit the mobile system.
Gameplay
The gameplay is also pretty much the same but just adjusted to fit the touchscreen and mobility of those mobile devices. Classes still fulfill their respective roles, so it is the same, but it has that distinct feeling compared to how you would play in front of a screen.
Final Remarks
The game did show a lot of promise, but the fact that the original game is still around means the mobile port would need a lot of help. People aren’t going to jump ship just because the mobile is good. They are already playing the game, and it’s not like the mobile version can carry over the same account. It’s just an ill-fated project, and without a growing fanbase of new players and money coming in, this game is definitely doomed. It’s like they regret making it and releasing it in the first place.
