Final Fantasy XIV Online Producer Says MMO Beta “Starting Soon”
Hiromichi Tanaka, Final Fantasy XIV Online’s producer, has stated that the online beta “will be starting soon”. The game is reportedly still on course for a 2010 release for all territories.
“We will do some final adjustments from the beta test and then we will have a launch in 2010,” Tanaka told Eurogamer. Similarly the launch is likely to be a simultaneous launch on both PC and PS3.
“The reason why many MMOs failed after WOW launched was probably because they were trying to copy WOW,” Tanaka said. “For FFXIV we’re not trying to copy World of Warcraft, we’re trying to choose something different. Final Fantasy never had any influence from World of Warcraft, so we want to continue that and try to reach a different audience.”
It’s good to see that he’s thinking about World of Warcraft’s audience, unlike a lot of other new MMOs. You’re never going to tear them away from their obsession, so it makes far more sense to get new players interested in your MMO. I think if any MMO can do it it’s Final Fantasy, with such a huge fanbase for the other games in the series.
