 PlayOnline service logo | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet services Computer software Digital distribution |
| Founded | June 6, 2000; 24 years ago (2000-06-06) |
| Headquarters | Japan |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | Square Enix Holdings |
| Parent | Square Enix |
PlayOnline is an online gaming service owned bySquare Enix as the launcher application and Internet service for many of the online PC,PlayStation 2 andXbox 360 games the company publishes. Launched on June 6, 2000, the service hosted games includingFront Mission Online,Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion,Tetra Master, and the Japanese releases ofEverQuest II,Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII andJongHoLo. As of 2022, however, the PC version ofFinal Fantasy XI is the only remaining game supported by the service.
PlayOnline was one of the first cross-platform gaming services, and hosted hundreds of thousands of players at its peak. It was shut down for twelve days during the2011 earthquake in Japan. The platform was also subjected todenial of service attacks and players attempting to cheat were subsequently banned. Starting withFinal Fantasy XIV, Square Enix began moving their online games off the service as membership declined. The termination date forFinal Fantasy XI and PlayOnline on PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 was March 2016, with only the PC version ofFinal Fantasy XI still supported.
PlayOnline was originally conceived as an all-in-one solution to house multiple types of game content.[1] At the "Square Millennium" event in Japan in January 2000, Square announcedFinal Fantasy IX,X andXI, with the last scheduled to release in the summer of 2001, and that they had been working on an online portal called PlayOnline with Japanese telecom companyNTT Communications, which would feature online games, chat, email, online comics, Internet browsing, online shopping, sports, andinstant messaging.[2] The service was first announced as costing ¥500 for monthly membership, and a ¥1000 monthly user fee.[3]Final Fantasy XI, then nicknamedFinal Fantasy Online, was the first game to use the online service.[3] TheWonderSwan Color portable gaming system was also planned to be able to connect to PlayOnline through an adapter connected to one of thePlayStation 2's USB ports.[4]
PlayOnline opened on June 6, 2000, to both Japanese and English speaking countries with news about upcoming software titles, interviews, and wallpapers.[5] The site's merchandise included pieces fromParasite Eve,Vagrant Story,Chocobo Racing,Front Mission,Chrono Cross, andFinal Fantasy.[6]
To encourage early adoption prior to the release ofFinal Fantasy XI, Square partnered withBradyGames to publish a paperbackstrategy guide forFinal Fantasy IX. The guide became notorious for barely containing any actual guidance. Instead, it asked players multiple times on each page to visit PlayOnline to obtain the solutions to puzzles, etc.[7] Initial plans to utilize PlayOnline withFinal Fantasy X were eventually scrapped.[8][9]
PlayOnline was seen as part ofSony's strategy to turn thePlayStation 2 into an Internetset-top box. Accordingly, Sony brought broadband equipment and a hard drive to the PlayStation 2.[10] The quality of the browser was noted in its "clean" graphics, excellent page layouts, and "high quality sound".[10] The browser was not a general purpose Internet tool, but only accessed Square content, such as news about Square products and a comic-strip walkthrough ofFinal Fantasy XI.[10]
PortingFinal Fantasy XI to theXbox proved difficult due to compatibility issues greater than was hoped for betweenXbox Live and PlayOnline, likely because the latter was designed first.[11] After negotiation,Xbox 360 players were able to play the game through PlayOnline's servers exclusively, despiteMicrosoft's initial wish that Square Enix would use its own platform.[11] Downloadable content was also not available on the platform since the game played through PlayOnline.[11] It was hoped that content would eventually be offered through theXbox Live Marketplace.[11]Final Fantasy XII started out as a game designed for the PlayOnline game platform.[12]
In February 2005, 800 players were banned fromFinal Fantasy XI and the card gameTetra Master for monopolizing areas where high level items and monsters would spawn, making it impossible for other players to become stronger.[13]
On April 9, 2005, a distributeddenial of service attack against PlayOnline's servers shut downFinal Fantasy XI access for players in North America and Europe for three hours: the attack continued for over a week, leading Square Enix to involve law enforcement.[14] At the time, Square Enix did not reveal if the Japanese server which hostedFront Mission Online,Fantasy Earth, and Japanese players ofEverQuest II were affected.[14]
A new security system for players by Square Enix began on April 6, 2009, involving a security token that players could purchase for $9.99 and including an in-game bonus called a "Mog Satchel".[15]
After Japan's 2011 earthquake, Square Enix disabled servers to conserve energy due to the incapacitated state of the region's nuclear power plant. This led to a temporary halt of theFinal Fantasy XIV,XI and PlayOnline games and services from March 13 to 25.[16][17] During the power shortage, air conditioning and lighting was reduced, and the subscription fees forFinal Fantasy XI were waived for the month of April.[17]
In June 2009, Square Enix decided not to use PlayOnline forFinal Fantasy XIV due to the marked decrease of content on the service.[1] Instead, they migrated to a new service that still allowed cross-platform gameplay, including the use of a universal Square Enix ID that would allow players to play from wherever they left off.[1] Two years later, Square Enix merged the account management portion of the PlayOnline service into Square Enix accounts from July and culminating on August 31.[18] However, PlayOnline is still required in order to actually playFinal Fantasy XI.[18] Square Enix replicated the idea of the friends list fromFinal Fantasy XI inXIV.[19] The termination date of service forFinal Fantasy XI and PlayOnline for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 was March 2016.[20]
In December 2001, Square Enix projected it would have 250,000 users by the end of the year, and 400,000 by the end of 2002. The service charged $10 per person, and thus needed 200,000 participants to break even.[21]
By January 2004, PlayOnline had over 500,000 registered users, and slightly under one million active players.[22] By September, the service had 1.2 million characters, with most players having two to three characters.[23] In May 2005,Front Mission Online became the second game to utilize the service, retailing at ¥7,140 with a monthly subscription price of ¥1,344.[24] In June 2009, aSan Francisco resident sued Square Enix for "deceptive advertising, unfair competition, and unjust enrichment" fromFinal Fantasy XI, and sought a $5 million settlement.[25]
ComposerNobuo Uematsu said that Square's efforts to push forward with online gaming was important to the video game industry's development.[26] The PlayOnline Viewer was criticized as being nothing more than a longer way to get toFinal Fantasy XI's content.[27] The game also had unmoderatedchat rooms that ended up with explicit content.[27] The interface was also described as "clunky" with "strange functional restrictions".[27]
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