Square Enix offers compensation for Final Fantasy XIV server woes

Square Enix has offered players of relaunched MMO Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn an additional seven days of free play time to compensate for the problems caused by the game's excessively strained servers.

The revamped MMO has been rendered unplayable for many players since its launch last week, as Square Enix misjudged how many people would be interested in playing the game.

Players yet to redeem their trial will be eligible for the additional seven days if they register before September 9, Square Enix adds.

The beleaguered servers will be taken offline from 17:00 PDT on September 3 to 03:00 PDT on September 4 for Square Enix to perform maintenance. The company says the work will increase the amount of available Words, increase the amount of logins available on each server, and reduce stress on its Duty Finder servers.

"Because login and character creation restrictions have hindered our ability to provide quality service, all Final Fantasy 14 service accounts will receive an additional seven days of free play time," Square Enix said.

"Furthermore, users who have yet to enter their registration codes will receive an additional seven-day trial should they register before 11.59 pm (PDT) on September 9, 2013. Moving forward, we will continue monitoring the servers to ensure that quality service and support are provided in a timely manner."