The popularity of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is already causing issues for Square Enix, despite the expansion not actually being released until July.
READ MORE: ‘Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker’ review: a fantastic conclusion to an unforgettable story
Release details for the long-awaited Final Fantasy 14 expansion were confirmed over the weekend, with Dawntrail coming July 2 after an early access window available to all those who pre-order the game.
And pre-orders for a number of Dawntrail physical and digital versions went live yesterday [March 26] but quickly caused havoc with Square Enix’s servers.
The Digital Collector’s Edition includes in-game bonus items:
Ark
Wind-up Garnet
Chocobo Brush
The physical CE (and Collector’s Box) features an expertly crafted viper figure, adventurer’s cloth map, the Unending Journey, adventurer’s pen case and special art box. pic.twitter.com/kdKmqwAKab
— FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) March 26, 2024
Fans found themselves unable to pay for the expansion due to issues with the website processing card payments alongside disappearing purchase buttons and the entire website crashing [via PCGamer].
“We are aware of a number of concerns regarding failed card payments when attempting to secure your pre-order on the Square Enix Store,” wrote Square Enix after pre-orders went live in Europe.
“We are aware that the North American Square Enix Store is experiencing technical difficulties and we are working closely with our partners to investigate and resolve the issue,” said a follow-up post a few hours later. “Our apologies again to those who have been experiencing checkout issues.”
(North America) We are aware that the North American Square Enix Store is experiencing technical difficulties and we are working closely with our partners to investigate and resolve the issue.
We will share updates as we have them, and we sincerely appreciate your patience.
— FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) March 26, 2024
Steam users also faced issues and those that had been able to successfully pre-order a Dawntrail expansion were then faced with missing codes that would grant them EXP-boosting ingame items. “Rest assured, codes are being delivered sequentially, but the email may take up to several hours to arrive due to the high volume of orders,” wrote Square Enix, with fans reportedly waiting up to 11 hours.
In 2021, digital sales for Final Fantasy 14 were stopped to combat server congestion following the release of the Endwalker expansion. Square Enix added a number of additional servers and data centres to cope with demand.
Earlier this week, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida confirmed Dawntrail would be slightly delayed to avoid a clash with Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. He went on to tease a potential Final Fantasy 9 remake, saying the reason for so many references in the FF14 pre-order bonuses was a “secret”.
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