Final Fantasy XIV Halts Housing Demolitions Due to California Wildfires
Square Enix has temporarily suspended automatic housing demolition timers in Final Fantasy XIV on North American servers due to the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. This affects players on the Aether, Primal, Crystal, and Dynamis data centers.
The suspension, implemented on January 9th, comes just one day after the company resumed these timers following a previous moratorium related to Hurricane Helene's aftermath. The 45-day demolition timers, designed to free up housing plots from inactive players and Free Companies, are now paused indefinitely. However, players can still reset their timers by logging into their homes.
This decision reflects Square Enix's sensitivity to real-world events impacting players' ability to access the game. Similar pauses have been implemented previously in response to other major events. The company will continue to monitor the situation and provide an update on when the auto-demolition timers will resume.
The impact of the wildfires extends beyond the game. Other events, including a Critical Role live stream and an NFL playoff game, have also been affected.
Key Points:
- Temporary Suspension: Automatic housing demolitions are paused on four North American data centers.
- Reason: The ongoing Los Angeles wildfires are the cause of the suspension.
- Previous Moratorium: This pause follows a previous suspension due to Hurricane Helene.
- Player Impact: Players can still reset their timers by accessing their homes.
- Future Updates: Square Enix will announce when the demolitions will resume.
The unexpected pause adds to a busy start to 2025 for Final Fantasy XIV players, following the recent return of a free login campaign. The duration of this latest suspension remains uncertain.
