Final Fantasy XIV: Mac Port is Yanked from Stores, Alexander Preview Up

Companies do not always have a great start with releases; in this day and age, this statement is a mere fact. Since 2013 (perhaps sooner), plenty of games have been released with bugs and a myriad of other issues, sometimes even rendering the games unplayable.

The latest culprit was thought to be Batman: Arkham Knight, but a lesser known port release of a highly popular MMO had also fallen prey to poor execution and delivery -- Final Fantasy XIV. Though the release for first expansion, dubbed "Heavensward," was very successful thanks to Naoki Yoshida and crew taking preventative measures against the flooding of servers caused by thousands of fans, a major issue lurked underneath all the joys -- the Mac port release.

The Mac port for Final Fantasy XIV suffered greatly since release, and as a result, many players reported a number of performance issues, which recently caused Square Enix to pull the game from stores and offer refunds. However, unlike with Batman: Arkham Knight, Square Enix was, at first, clueless as to the cause of these issues.

Here's the official statement from Yoshi P, posted last Friday:

"We have received a great deal of feedback regarding the performance of the Mac version, as well as various problems which resulted from the information we provided prior to its release. For these issues, we apologize.

I would like to discuss the various issues with the client and their underlying causes. However, as this will make for a rather long explanation, I think it best that we begin with refunds."

The producer of the popular MMO goes on to announce that Mac users can receive a full refund, even from time cards, by using this form here. He also admitted there were issues with communication regarding system requirements (accidentally releasing the wrong system requirements for the Mac version's official release) and that the Mac version was made available earlier than intended at retailers, meaning that some players played a pre-release build. Furthermore, he delved into the differences between Windows (including Boot Camp) and Mac versions, as well as the contrasts between DirectX and OpenGL, offering an explanation as to why the decided to create a Mac port in the first place with all the challenges facing them.

A very humble man here, as he bears the sole responsibility for ultimately making the decision to release the Mac version under the chaos. You have to give him credit for that.

On a lighter note, the Raid Dungeon Preview for Alexander has been released alongside tonight's maintenance, so those waiting for servers to pop online can spend a few minutes drooling at the new dungeon and gear. Here's the official "lore" description of the dungeon:

"Since the Sharlayan exodus, a structure has stood steady against the flow of the Thaliak River. Now, the Illuminati have summoned a primal around this rusting ruin─a terrible colossus of steam and metal. Steel screamed against steel when it rose from the waters, and it drank deep of the land's aether before grinding again to a halt.

The voices of Idyllshire cry out, asking for aid ere their homes are crushed under the weight of iron. You must lead a band of valiant adventurers into the machina and discover how to destroy the core─lest the giant screeches again to life, and bleeds all the realm dry."

Included in the article is that announcement that Alexander will be part of Patch 3.01, and that the raid's rewards will be announced alongside the Patch 3.01 notes at a later date.

It seems that tonight will not be the night of Patch 3.01, but will instead feature just a typical maintenance, so it is recommended to brace yourself for the lack of Alexander.

Now don't get me wrong -- I am excited for Alexander. A raid with a story mode that is on par with The Binding Coil of Bahamut (pre-nerf) and a difficult, savage mode that is on par with Coil Savage (maybe even harder!)... It screams teamwork and challenge there! However and on a personal note, I am also behind on the story and leveling, so this news would be rather relieving for me.

We'll update you when the official 3.01 Patch notes release in a few days, as well as when the Mac version of the title will be available once more. Maintenance for Final Fantasy XIV will begin tonight, July 6, at 11:00 PM PDT and will run until July 7, at 3 AM PDT.