Over 10m people have played Final Fantasy 14

Over 10 million people have played Final Fantasy 14, Square Enix has trumpeted.

That's cumulative players as of today, Square Enix qualified, not a current monthly player count. So, that includes free trial accounts. And there will be a lot of free trial accounts - the trial lets anyone access all content up to level 35, create up to eight playable characters and doesn't restrict playtime.

Still, it's an impressive number for an MMO that suffered such a disastrous launch in 2010 that some thought Square Enix would pull the plug before the game's first birthday. Square Enix ditched the original development team, drafted in new staff and relaunched Final Fantasy 14 as A Realm Reborn in August 2013.

How did Square Enix turn the game around? Danny O'Dwyer's NoClip series delves deep into Final Fantasy 14 in the video below. If you're interested in the game, it's well worth a watch.

Back to Square Enix's note to press this morning: the company put the game's ongoing success down to updates and new content. Expansion Stormblood recently released, and the annual Moonfire Faire seasonal event kicks off soon.