Final Fantasy XIV Halts Housing Demolitions Due to LA Wildfires
Square Enix has temporarily suspended automatic housing demolitions in Final Fantasy XIV on North American servers due to the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires. This affects players on the Aether, Primal, Crystal, and Dynamis data centers. The company will announce a resumption date once the situation is assessed.
The decision comes just one day after the automatic demolition timers were restarted following a previous pause. In Final Fantasy XIV, housing plots are subject to a 45-day demolition timer if left unoccupied by players or Free Companies. This timer encourages player activity and subscription. However, Square Enix regularly pauses these timers in response to real-world events impacting player accessibility, such as natural disasters. Previous pauses have included one following Hurricane Helene.
This latest pause, effective January 9th, 11:20 PM Eastern, applies only to the aforementioned data centers. Players can still reset their individual timers to the full 45 days by logging into their homes.
The impact of the wildfires extends beyond the game. The popular web series, Critical Role, delayed a major event, and an NFL playoff game was relocated. The timing of this pause, coupled with the recent return of a free login campaign, makes for a busy start to 2025 for Final Fantasy XIV players. The duration of the current demolition suspension remains undetermined.
