Today Square Enix changed a rather controversial detail in the bonus emote coming with a rather expensive Final Fantasy XIV collectible.
When the developer revealed the Meister Quality Figure - Hydaelyn & Zodiark back in January, the bonus code that comes with it, granting the "Ballroom Etiquette - Apocalyptic Charades" emote book, stirred quite a lot of interest among the fans, but many were unhappy.
The product's description spelled that the emote would be granted to a single character within a player's account, which many fans definitely didn't like, especially considering that the figure costs $359.99, €369.99, or 39,600 yen depending on where you live. It isn't a cheap collectible, and making the bonus so restrictive felt really inappropriate in the eyes of many.
Square Enix evidently heard the complaints, and changed the product description as follows.
- This item code can only be redeemed once per service account. Please note that multiple item codes for the same item cannot be applied to a single service account. (Added February 15th 2024)
- This item will be distributed to all characters on the selected service account. (Added February 15th 2024)
That will likely make some fans feel better about the whole issue. While this may seem to be a small problem for those unfamiliar with Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix is notorious for milking emotes and cosmetics both as bonuses to push merchandise purchases, and as paid items in the game's online store.
Microtransactions have become pretty much the standard in MMORPGs, but the fact that Final Fantasy XIV requires a monthly fee already certainly makes its reliance on selling cosmetics to make bank a little harder to swallow for many fans.
Sales for the ultra-popular game have been naturally down year-on-year while fans are waiting for the next expansion titled Dawntrail, coming this summer, albeit Square Enix still considers them fairly strong.
Final Fantasy XIV is currently available on PS5, PS4, PC, and Mac. An Xbox Series X|S version is coming this spring with an open beta starting on February 21.
The MMORPG is one of the most successful within the genre, having recently passed 30 million registered accounts. If you'd like to jump on the bandwagon, you can purchase a copy on Amazon.
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