An up-and-coming Final Fantasy XIV roleplay group decided the best way to bring newcomers to its upcoming summer bash in the MMO Game was to advertise, but the usual methods simply wouldn’t do. Instead of shouting on the streets of Limsa Lominsa or wooing passerby on the steps of Ul’dah, the Rain nightclub bought a few billboards in Texas and California, letting the party-minded Warriors of Light know where to go once July 9 rolled around.
A Twitter user associated with the group posted the billboards on Twitter (thanks News.com.au) and mentioned the actually cost very little to rent, though the posts have since been removed. Whether that’s from concerns over violating copyright or from some negative community reactions in Rain’s Discord server is unclear, though it may be the latter.
Square Enix tends to be rather lenient with enforcing its Terms of Service in Final Fantasy XIV. Even most photo mode mods could technically be interpreted as violating the Terms of Service, though unless actions harm other users or stand to earn real money from using Square Enix’s IP, there’s often little danger of getting in trouble for bending the rules a bit in Eorzea.
What apparently landed Rain in hot water with fans was the billboard’s rather selective advertising. The Rain club offers erotic roleplay services – not terribly uncommon in Final Fantasy XIV, especially on Rain’s home server of Balmung, unofficially called the game’s roleplay server. It’s plainly visible on Rain’s website – offline at the time of publishing, until the ruckus calms down – and its full list of services offered.
Those who joined the club’s Discord without checking their website were apparently shocked to find NSFW channels in the server, before Rain’s modders reportedly removed them, angering newcomers and existing members alike in the process and prompting several hours of posts haranguing mods about their club.
Still, the show will seemingly still go on, with a DJ and in-game performances, along with an expansive – and admittedly expensive, so bring plenty of Gil – menu of Final Fantasy drinks and food items.
It should give you a nice break from patch 6.18 and your island paradise, but if you need more than a few stiff drinks to change your view of the world. this new mod that upscales every monster texture should do the trick.