Final Fantasy XIV drops timed free trials in favor of a level cap

Square Enix has opted to remove the 14-day time restriction from the free trial for its massively-multiplayer online game Final Fantasy XIV. Instead, free trial accounts will be primarily limited by a level cap that cuts trial characters off at level 35.

The change looks to be a bid to introduce new players to Final Fantasy XIV as the game rolls out a handful of changes ahead of its next expansion, in addition to a way to attract players who may have gave the game a spin previously, but were turned off by the 14-day limit.

Other big ticket MMOs have made a similar swap in the past, most notably Blizzard’s still-thriving giant World of Warcraft.

For Final Fantasy XIV the switch from timed free trials to level restrictions comes nearly four years after the game first released and just months before the release of the game’s second major expansion.