FFXI and FFXIV servers temporarily closed in wake of Japanese quake
by Ben Gilbert 
on Mar 13th 2011 4:20PM
Given the enormity of the events in Japan right now, it feels kind of ridiculous to be writing about the massive earthquake's effect on video game servers, but here we are. Both
Final Fantasy XI and
XIV have had their servers temporarily closed in an effort by Square Enix to help conserve energy in the ailing country. The publisher's web portal services will also be temporarily closed.
Square directly attributes the temporary closures to "continuous earthquakes occurring in the eastern regions of Japan," and says that servers will be down for "at least a week starting on Mar. 13, 2011 3:00 (PDT) [7:00 EST]." It is currently unknown when the servers will go back up, but Square promises regular updates as they come in. Neither game will charge subscription fees through April as a result.
If you'd like to help out, head over to
the Red Cross site and donate what you can.
