Final Fantasy XIV Companion App slated for late July release

Nowadays there are all kinds of options for mobile MMORPGs, but sometimes what you really want is just a good old fashioned PC MMO. Come late July, fans of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV get the best of both worlds with the release of the Final Fantasy XIV Companion App for Android and iOS.

The FFXIV Companion App lets you tie your in-game characters to your mobile device and chat with your friends across different servers. It also features a scheduler so you can work out the best times to hop into a raid or PvP event.

Basic item management is also incorporated into the app so you can swap items between your inventory and armory. For anyone who’s played the game for more than a few months, you know how much of a pain it can be to organize your items. Soon you’ll be able to do it while riding the bus or walking your dog.

There’s also the ability to send a Moogle to buy or sell an item on the market board, or give instructions to one of your retainers. Doing so will cost kupo nuts, which are a daily login reward for the app. You can also pay for this feature with mog coins, which cost real money.

Mog coins aren’t the only way the app is monetized, as there is also a premium subscription available that will run users about $5 a month. This unlocks a few more features of the app, like retainer inventory management, as well as in-game rewards.

With the premium subscription to the Final Fantasy XIV Companion App (which is separate from a subscription to the game itself), players unlock an additional retainer, bringing the total available to 10. Chocobo saddlebag size is also doubled.

Square Enix first teased the app in April, to mixed fan reactions. While both the free and premium versions provide utility to players, the way it’s monetized strikes some as heavy handed, especially considering FFXIV is one of the most expensive MMORPGs on the market.