Final Fantasy XIV ending PS3 support this week

As of this Friday, Final Fantasy XIV will no longer be playable on the PlayStation 3, effectively marking the end of Final Fantasy MMO support for the previous console generation. The change comes just as the game’s next expansion, Stormblood, begins its launch process.

Square Enix has a penchant for supporting its MMO titles on previous console generations longer than most would expect. The developer only shut down Xbox 360 and PS3 support for its previous, and yet ongoing, MMO Final Fantasy XI a year ago, after fourteen years of operation.

Final Fantasy XIV didn’t make it quite that long, but the fact that Square offered PlayStation 3 support for nearly four years and well into the current console cycle is still notable in itself. Meanwhile, the online game is still going strong on PC and PS4.

PlayStation 3 support officially ends June 16 but as compensation to displaced players, the developer is automatically upgrading PS3 licenses to PlayStation 4 versions of the game, provided that players don't already own Final Fantasy XIV on that platform.