Square Enix is back with another wave of “optional items” released on the Final Fantasy XIV Online Store, and by “optional,” they mean that you have to pay for them.
This time around, the items “celebrate” the release of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, which brings back the beloved simulation RPG after so many years of begging by its fans.
You can purchase Ovelia’s Attire, Ramza’s Attire, and Gaffgarion’s Attire, priced at $18 each. There’s also a set of Orchestrion Rolls priced at $15.
The Orchestrion set includes the following tracks.
- Prologue Orchestrion Roll
- Memories Orchestrion Roll
- Party Composition Orchestrion Roll
- Brave Story Orchestrion Roll
- Thunder God Cid’s Theme Orchestrion Roll
All outfits can be dyed in two different colors and can be equipped by all characters. You can see what they look like in the gallery below.
Of course, you may find that the headline of this article expresses some annoyance, which indeed represents my state of mind about this.
It’s no mystery that I absolutely love Final Fantasy XIV. I have been playing it non-stop since day one of 1.0 (and the alpha and beta before). Yet, Square Enix’s overreliance on the cash shop to deliver paid content when players already pay a monthly fee is something I’ll never not have an axe to grind about.
Yet, by making players pay for crossover items like this, we reach a different level of monetization.
Crossovers should be something for everyone to celebrate, not something accessible only to those who have additional cash to sink into the game on top of what they already pay.
We’re “celebrating” the launch of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, but fans have to pay extra to be invited to the party?
Crossovers like this have a promotional effect already, encouraging players to purchase the other game involved, so why is cash involved?
And yes, I am aware that we’ll soon get a Monster Hunter Wilds crossover for free, but it makes even less sense that the collaboration with a game from Capcom doesn’t have a pricegtag attached, while the one with a beloved game from Square Enix itself, which has many fans in common with Final Fantasy XIV, involves having to pay more than the game itself if you want all the items.
Of course, this rant won’t have any effect. Will I stop loving Final Fantasy XIV? No chance. Heck, I just bought Ovelia’s attire for my girlfriend because I love her and want her to have nice things. I am also incapable of putting my money where my mouth is. Apparently, I’m part of the problem.
Final Fantasy XIV is currently available for PC, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series X|S. It has recently entered the 7.3 patch cycle, and you can check out the update’s trailer and plenty of details and gameplay footage of the new content.
Incidentally, Final Fantasy XIV is one of the pillars of Square Enix’s game lineup, with its recurring revenue making the MMO segment the most profitable among the publisher’s businesses. The content of this article is likely part of the reasons behind that.
