Final Fantasy XIV Suspends Housing Demolitions Due to California Wildfires
Square Enix has temporarily halted automatic housing demolition timers in Final Fantasy XIV on North American servers. This affects players in the Aether, Primal, Crystal, and Dynamis data centers. The decision follows the resumption of demolitions just one day prior and is a direct response to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. Square Enix will announce a resumption date once the situation is assessed.
The game typically employs a 45-day auto-demolition timer to free up housing plots from inactive players or Free Companies. This timer resets when the owner logs into their estate. However, in the face of real-world events like natural disasters, Square Enix occasionally pauses these timers, as seen previously following Hurricane Helene. This current pause ensures players affected by the wildfires aren't unfairly penalized for their inability to log in. Homeowners can still reset their timers by visiting their properties.
This latest suspension began on Thursday, January 9th, at 11:20 PM Eastern. The previous moratorium, lasting three months, concluded on January 8th. While Square Enix has expressed sympathy for those affected by the wildfires, the impact extends beyond the game. The Critical Role web series and an NFL playoff game have also been impacted by the fires.
The unexpected pause adds to a busy start to 2025 for Final Fantasy XIV players, who also recently benefited from a free login campaign. The duration of this latest housing demolition freeze remains undetermined.
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