Alex Levine July 6th, 2021 - 5:58 AM
Over the past weekend one of the most popular MMORPG’s in the gaming market soared obtained a new record. Final Fantasy XIV managed to outdo its own concurrent playerbase record on Steam, hitting roughly 47,542 in the last 24 hours. This tops the game’s previous mark in 2020 when it reached 41,200. That was around the time when the current expansion Shadowbringers had just launched. The main difference this time is there was no new expansion drop or any new piece of content. Instead, the main factor for this surge in players is due to a Twitch Streamer named Zack, better known as Asmongold, playing and streaming the game for the first time.
It’s finally here.
Today I begin my adventure in FF14!
Very excited and also equally nervous!
Dungeons and Dragons ep. 2 will be at 4 pm CT today also!
Gonna look into the crypto drama (lmao) to start the stream, then we begin
Live in 30 to 45https://t.co/5AFxExtTH6
— Zack (@Asmongold) July 3, 2021
Twitch Streamers using their influence in showcasing a video game is nothing new in today’s gaming society. The reason why this moved so many numbers in such a short time frame is not so much cause of the game that he played, but the game that he did not normally play, the one that he is usually associated with; World of Warcraft. Ever since Asmongold began streaming in 2014, he has essentially been “The World of Warcraft Streamer” showcasing the game in almost every single stream he has done. So when he made the “switch” to the title’s main competitor, it turned out to be a big deal.
He wasn’t the only one either. Another big streamer, Ben Cassell, also known as CohhCarnage, picked up Final Fantasy XIV and streamed it over the weekend, which more than likely help drive the overall player count. It’s important to note that Square Enix had nothing to do with this in terms of promotion. In fact, the game’s next major expansion, Endwalker, isn’t launching until November 23, 2021, much later in the year. Blizzard meanwhile is still working on the Chains of Domination content patch for World of Warcraft, and they also finally released World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic this past month.
