Final Fantasy 14 players in Ukraine are being priced out of playing the MMO

gamesradar.com:

Ukrainian players are struggling to keep up with the cost of Final Fantasy 14 subscriptions due to the economic effects of the Russian invasion and a lack of regional pricing on various storefronts. 

The issue was recently flagged (opens in new tab) on the MMORPG’s subreddit, though it’s gaining momentum thanks to the attention of popular Final Fantasy 14 streamer Zepla (opens in new tab), who initially lived in Ukraine until relocating (opens in new tab) due to the conflict earlier this year. 

One Ukrainian fan shares that the economic situation brought about by the Russian invasion has led to subscription prices almost doubling to 440 Ukrainian hryvnias from 260 Ukrainian hryvnias. For a sense of scale, the poster explains that some locals would be looking at two to three days' salary to raise the necessary funds and points out that - as you can imagine - jobs aren’t too easy to come by right now either.

As reported by Reuters (opens in new tab), the Russian invasion will likely lead the Ukrainian economy to contract by up to 45% this year. The country’s central bank recently devalued the hryvnia by 25% against the U.S. dollar to offset the growing economic impact of the conflict, just days after country officials asked creditors for a two-year debt freeze (opens in new tab). Perhaps most importantly, at the end of July the hryvnia fell significantly against the Euro - the currency most Ukrainians would use to buy their subscriptions - further driving up relative prices.

“I think I'm not talking only on behalf of myself but [for] all [the] Ukrainian community of Final Fantasy 14,” the Reddit user says. “We are asking you to make a regional price on subscription at least for the period of war so our people could enjoy