Summary
The current director ofFinal Fantasy 11has recently revealed that Square Enix had considered shutting down the game for good, but the studio ultimately didn’t take that route because the game continued to receive strong support from fans.Final Fantasy 11recently celebrated its 23rd anniversary, and instead of fading, its popularity continues—with fans still logging into the game—prompting Square Enix not only to keep the servers live but to roll out new updates as well.
Final Fantasy 11is an MMORPG released back in 2002, marking the first online entry in themassively popularFinal Fantasyseries. Much like many other games in the genre at the time, players must create a character from five distinct races and embark on adventures across a large open world, with varied landscapes and environments. Players take on different quests while exploring theFF11narrative and delving into the lore of the realm. The game features a job system with different roles, a “Trust” system to summon NPC allies for assistance, and engaging combat that involves strategic coordination. Over the years,FF11has received several major updates that expanded its content, bringing new experiences for fans. However, Square Enix also considered the possibility of shutting the game down.
During aninterview with Dengeki Online, Yoji Fujito, the current game director, revealed that there was a strong chanceFinal Fantasy 11’s updateswould stop in 2024 and shift to a “maintenance mode,” which basically means that active development would end—no longer adding new content—though Square Enix would still handle basic tasks like fixing bugs and keeping the servers online. Fujito added that there was even a real possibility of completely shutting down the game if The Voracious Resurgence started “losing its momentum.”
Final Fantasy 11 Was About to Shift to Maintenance Mode
Luckily for fans, the studio eventually scrapped the idea when it saw that players were still actively logging in, which encouraged the developer to plan evenmore content forFinal Fantasy 11. Earlier this year, the developer announced that it would introduce more solo content in 2025 following a user survey where players expressed their hopes for more solo play options.
Additionally, Square Enix has recently announced thatFinal Fantasy 11will get a Character Race Change Service, allowing players to pay in order to alter their appearance and base stats—a feature that already exists inFinal Fantasy 14. As long as players keep jumping intoFinal Fantasy 11and its popularity holds, they can rest assured the developer will continue rolling out updates.
