Square Enix’s highly anticipated expansion for its popular game Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is already causing havoc for the company, with the expansion not due for release until July. Pre-orders for a number of Dawntrail physical and digital versions went live yesterday, but Square Enix’s servers were quickly overwhelmed. Fans were unable to pay for the expansion due to issues with the website processing card payments, alongside disappearing purchase buttons and website crashes. Steam users also faced issues with missing codes that would have granted them EXP-boosting in-game items.
“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.
In 2021, digital sales for Final Fantasy 14 were stopped to combat server congestion following the release of the Endwalker expansion. Square Enix added several additional servers and data centres to cope with the demand. Earlier this week, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida confirmed that Dawntrail would be slightly delayed to avoid a clash with Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. He later hinted at a potential Final Fantasy 9 remake, saying so many references in the FF14 pre-order bonuses was a “secret.”
Release details for the long-awaited Final Fantasy 14 expansion were confirmed over the weekend, with Dawntrail coming on July 2 after an early access window available to anyone who pre-orders the game. The Digital Collector’s Edition includes in-game bonus items, while 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
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