Amidst the chaos of widespread wildfires disrupting life around Los Angeles, the team behind Final Fantasy 14 has shown a heartwarming level of empathy by pausing their automatic housing demolition processes on North American servers. This considerate decision ensures that players who are currently grappling with the disaster and unable to log into the game won’t have the added stress of losing their virtual homes.
The developers hit the pause button on the auto-demolition countdown for the Aether, Crystal, Dynamis, and Primal data centers on January 9th at 8:20 p.m. PT. They’ve made it clear that they will be keeping a close eye on the unfolding situation in Southern California, deciding when to restart based on how things progress. Typically, Final Fantasy 14 players are at risk of losing their digital property after 45 days of inactivity, mainly due to the high demand for housing within the gaming community.
Square Enix expressed their heartfelt condolences through their latest message: “From everyone on the Final Fantasy 14 development and management team, we offer our deepest sympathies to those impacted by the mountain fires near Los Angeles in North America. We genuinely wish for a swift recovery, hoping that those affected will soon be able to rejoin us in FF14.”
The situation has been grim, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, with at least 10 lives lost. Over 100,000 people have had to flee their homes, while a staggering 9,000 structures have been destroyed and tens of thousands of acres scorched by the intense wildfires in the region. For those who have the capacity to assist, the LA Times has compiled a comprehensive list of organizations that are accepting donations to aid those in need.
