Final Fantasy 14 Mobile released in China earlier today, giving us a first look at how the game will run, what it’s like to play, and most importantly, how it’s going to be monetized.Final Fantasy 14runs on a subscription service and asks players to purchase expansions when they’re released, butFinal Fantasy 14 Mobiletakes a much different approach and is actually a free-to-play game.
It’s a sensible decision, as mobile titles are primarily free-to-play, and doing this opens up the possibility of bringing in a whole new audience that could move onto the full game proper. Unfortunately, being free-to-play brings with it a lot of potential for questionable business practices, and boy howdy, Final Fantasy 14 Mobile is chock-full of them.
Final Fantasy 14 Mobile Blasted By Fans For “Predatory” Monetization
A Reddit user called RablaAndrewsgained access to the game and has been sharing what the game’s monetization actually looks like. For starters, Final Fantasy 14 Mobile has a premium currency, and is selling bundles from between a single dollar, all the way up to around $90. That’s fine out of context, but many users have pointed out that these bundles often contain currency amounts just below what is required for certain items.
For example, outfits are priced at 12,800 crystals, but the only bundles you can buy remotely close to that figure are either the 9,800 or the next tier up at 19,800. You’re essentially forced to either spend money on more currency than you need, or forced to make more than one purchase. It’s the exact same situation for mounts too, as they’re priced at 22,800, making the 19,800 bundle just shy of the currency you need.
You’ve then got a battle pass on top of this too, with a free and premium track, and it’s stuffed with items that you’re able to just buy with gil in the proper version of Final Fantasy 14, such as glamour prisms and dyes. If it’s a usable item in Final Fantasy 14, then it looks like it’s been monetized to some extent in Final Fantasy 14 Mobile.
Understandably, these practices have been blasted by Final Fantasy 14 fans, with the game alreadybeing called “slop” and “predatory”, though a lot of people just aren’t that surprised given that the game is coming out of China. There are even some that say that they’d “gladly take MogStation” over this,but hey, at least it isn’t gacha.
