Final Fantasy XIV: Will tragedy strike again?

Everyone has heard of the failures Final Fantasy XIV has encountered to the dismay of the series' many fans. This second online departure for Square-Enix has failed to draw in the users that they had expected resulting in a complete overhaul of the entire game. Two years since its initial release, the game still exists. But this time, it's being marketed as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

The real question here is, will tragedy strike again?

Since it's release Square-Enix have attempted to address the many issues with the game, resulting in a massive change in development staff and thus a considerable change in the future of the game. The plans for A Realm Reborn (version 2.0) have been well outlined by Square-Enix by various roadmaps and at present the game is only slightly behind the projected schedule.

So where did they go wrong the first time?

Open release the game faced some glaring problems. To name but a few, there was a sheer lack of content, a clunky user-interface and a uninteresting combat system. For too many, the game was plain boring. Square-Enix have made some broad strides in repairing the game and more importantly removed the subscription free until the game was of a worthy standard.

While the game went back into major development it also found itself having more competition against other major MMO releases. By the time A Realm Reborn is released it will already be jumping back into an immensely crowded market. Despite the development teams effort, will enough be done to draw the users back? Only time will tell. The near future will be the reckoning of Final Fantasy XIV, it is basically make or break.

Square-Enix's previous foray into MMO's, Final Fantasy XI: Online, actually went down as a great success having been online for over a decade. In fact, the game is receiving another expansion early this year. The hopes that XIV would live up to the success and longevity of XI have been dashed in recent times.

With the upcoming beta, the game will undergo the same critical eyes that it faced two years ago. This is make or break for Final Fantasy XIV - and, potentially make or break for Final Fantasy as a whole.