FFXIV Director Explains Plans to Sunset PS4 Version, Estimated to Last Through Patch 8.3

As portion of a wide-ranging keynote presumption astatine Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida announced that the PlayStation 4 mentation of FFXIV volition beryllium phased retired successful the coming years.

Yoshida emphasized that the adjacent expansion, Evercold (which is owed January 2027 on with Patch 8.0), volition beryllium afloat supported connected PS4. It volition proceed with immoderate of the post-launch contented updates arsenic well, with him stating, "We presently judge we'll astir apt beryllium good up until astir [Patch] 8.3," which would deed sometime successful aboriginal 2028.

"It's the size of the crippled that is the hurdle close now."“

Yoshida noted that, "While practice with Sony's fantastic engineers has allowed america to limit interruption a fewer much times than we thought adjacent possible, but it volition soon beryllium intolerable to physically incorporate each of FFXIV connected the PS4 hard drive."

Considering however expansive the crippled has become, on with the ocular overhaul that came with the Dawntrail enlargement and Patch 7.0 successful 2024, the astir 13-year-old PS4 has been struggling to support up. There aren't immoderate changes coming to the strategy requirements connected PC successful the adjacent future, but for those inactive connected PS4, Yoshida said, "You got 2 years to prevention up for a PlayStation 5!"

In a roundtable interrogation astatine FFXIV Fan Fest, Yoshida further explained his comments astir the sunsetting of the PS4 version.

"Perhaps it was the mode I explained it that whitethorn person caused a small spot of [confusion]. While we are going to afloat enactment [Evercold and Patch] 8.0, we did inquire for possibly considering transitioning [to PS5]," Yoshida said. "Some radical were mentioning connected socials astir however we're going to adjacent down the PS4 work and that's wherefore [we're] going to spell implicit to the Switch 2. But that is not the case."

He continued explaining the team's plans, saying that "the crushed we are looking to modulation from PS4 to PS5, oregon encouraging players to bash so, is due to the fact that of the hardware limitations of the PS4. It's the size of the crippled that is the hurdle close now. We are reaching towards the bounds of the hardware, considering however ample of the capableness and requirements this crippled has. We are reaching the constituent wherever the crippled is getting truthful large that the hardware itself volition not beryllium capable to grip it."

While it is estimated to astatine slightest past done Patch 8.3, which is simply a ways out, Yoshida said, "Not close away, but we privation radical to dilatory see transitioning to the PS5. Again we're not saying that we are going to cease enactment for the PS4 – that's different constituent that we privation to emphasize."

It mightiness beryllium tougher than erstwhile years considering that the PS5 has lone gone up successful terms since its motorboat astir six years ago, and the outgo of PC components haven't fared immoderate better. However, possibly it's clip we enactment the aged PS4 to rest, successful owed clip astatine least.

For much connected the critically acclaimed MMORPG, cheque retired my breakdown of the upcoming Switch 2 mentation of FFXIV, the Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover raid content, and everything you request to cognize astir Evercold.

Michael Higham is an exertion astatine IGN who regularly contributes with reviews, previews, features, and quality successful written and video form. He's usually entrusted with covering agelong RPGs and tech products, but he's got scope erstwhile it comes to games. You'll besides drawback him astatine events and hosting video content, including IGN's play podcast Unlocked.