The team behind Final Fantasy XIV has announced an upcoming public test for cross-region Data Center Travel, aiming to assess the feasibility of allowing players to explore Worlds beyond their regional confines. This test, scheduled to commence on Sunday, March 24, at 8:00 p.m. PDT, is in preparation for the game’s forthcoming update, Dawntrail, and seeks to address potential technical challenges associated with such a feature.
Traditionally, players have been able to visit Worlds within their own regional data centers, a feature that has facilitated community interaction within set geographical boundaries. The expansion of this system to enable cross-region travel has been a topic of interest, though concerns regarding market dynamics, social norms, and the technicalities of intercontinental gameplay have necessitated a cautious approach.
The introduction of Dawntrail is anticipated to result in heightened server traffic, particularly during peak hours. To mitigate potential congestion, a limited form of cross-region travel is being considered, allowing players to access Worlds in less populated data centers temporarily.
The initial phase of testing will permit players from Japanese, North American, and European data centers to access the Oceanian data center, with the restriction that characters originating from the Oceanian data center will not participate in outbound travel for the duration of the test. This approach aims to gather data on the impact of cross-region play without disproportionately affecting any single data center.
Participants in the test should be aware that while returning to their Home World from the Oceanian data center will remain an option post-test, server congestion related to the Dawntrail release could complicate these returns. Additionally, the test will not support the preservation of certain social functionalities, such as friend lists, blacklists, and cross-world linkshell registrations, across data centers.