# The Critically Acclaimed Mmorpg > The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG is a 2021 Final Fantasy XIV copypasta featuring robotic, enthusiastic pitches of the game's free trial that became so pervasive it earned acknowledgment in official Square Enix advertising. "The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG" is a copypasta and inside joke born from *Final Fantasy XIV*'s free trial marketing. Emerging in early 2021, the meme mimics the overly enthusiastic pitch that FFXIV players are notorious for giving their friends, promoting the game's generous free trial with an almost robotic level of detail. It quickly became one of the most recognizable gaming copypastas of the 2020s, eventually getting acknowledged by Square Enix themselves in official advertising. ## Origin The copypasta traces back to around March 4, 2021, when Square Enix launched an updated free trial website for *Final Fantasy XIV*[4]. Around the same time, the game's official YouTube channel published three live-action advertising videos featuring a woman who aggressively pitches the free trial to friends and strangers in everyday situations[1]. One ad features a woman checking out a mundane free trial for a streaming service before being interrupted by the FFXIV pitch. Another has her pestering someone about a gym membership. In each, a *Final Fantasy XIV* character appears at the end for backup[1]. Even before the official ads dropped, FFXIV players had already been copy-pasting the free trial pitch across social media as a running joke. On February 12, 2021, Twitter user AnonyMooseXIV posted an "I Wish All X a Very Y" meme that referenced the copypasta, picking up nearly 1,400 likes and 900 retweets[4]. The FFXIV English Twitter account leaned into the joke on April 17, 2021, tweeting a version of the copypasta themselves[4]. - **Platform:** FFXIV community (copypasta), YouTube (Square Enix ads) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created from FFXIV marketing copy), HatashHyrunashi (word art popularizer), AnonyMooseXIV (early viral post) - **Date:** 2021 ## Overview The meme centers on a block of promotional text that reads something like: *"Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV? With an expanded free trial which you can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award-winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for free with no restrictions on playtime."* The joke is that FFXIV players are so evangelical about the game that they'll recite this marketing pitch word-for-word to anyone within earshot, whether asked or not[2]. The copypasta captures a real dynamic in the FFXIV community: the game's fans are famously persistent recruiters, and the free trial is genuinely generous enough that their pitch sounds like a sales script[3]. ## How It Spread The copypasta spread rapidly across platforms throughout 2021. It became a fixture on 4chan's /v/ board, Twitter, Reddit, and even popped up in real-world settings like gaming conventions and Discord servers[4]. The joke worked because it was rooted in truth: every FFXIV player seemed to know the free trial pitch by heart. On May 20, 2021, Twitter user HatashHyrunashi posted a word art version of the copypasta that turned the text itself into visual art. That post pulled in over 6,900 likes and 3,100 retweets[4]. Word art edits became a popular sub-format. When the *Endwalker* expansion launched in December 2021 and overwhelmed FFXIV's servers, Reddit user Xane posted an edited word art version to r/ffxiv on December 16 that riffed on the server congestion. It earned over 1,800 upvotes[4]. Square Enix's own advertising leaned hard into the meme energy. PCGamesN described the official ads as "channelling the same energy" as the annoying friend who won't stop talking about FFXIV[2]. TheGamer called the live-action trailers "an accurate representation of every friend you've ever had that can't seem to shut up about the game"[1]. The meme got a second wind on July 28, 2023, when Square Enix announced that the *Stormblood* expansion would be added to the free trial in patch 6.5, raising the level cap to 70[3]. The next day, HatashHyrunashi posted an updated word art copypasta reflecting the new trial limits. That post exploded with over 10,000 likes and 5,000 retweets in under 24 hours[4]. ## How to Use The standard approach is to drop the copypasta text into any conversation, comment section, or message thread, ideally when it's completely unprompted. Common variations include: 1. **The straight paste:** Copy the full free trial pitch verbatim into a random discussion, as if you're an NPC who can only say one thing. 2. **The pivot:** Start responding to someone's question or statement normally, then pivot mid-sentence into the copypasta. ("What's the best MMO? Well, have you heard of the critically acclaimed...") 3. **The word art:** Arrange the copypasta text into decorative typography or fit it into another meme template. 4. **The interruption:** Insert the pitch into unrelated meme formats, treating the FFXIV sales pitch like an intrusive thought. ## Cultural Impact What makes this copypasta unusual is that the company behind the game actively embraced it. Square Enix produced official live-action advertisements that deliberately mirrored the "annoying FFXIV friend" dynamic, with actors literally ambushing people to pitch the free trial[2]. The ads repeated "Final Fantasy XIV Online" so many times that PCGamesN noted "it sounds weirder every time"[2]. The meme also reflects a genuine marketing success. FFXIV's free trial is unusually generous for an MMO, offering hundreds of hours of content across the base game and multiple expansions at no cost[3]. The copypasta, while a joke, doubled as effective word-of-mouth advertising. The game's official free trial page now promotes play "up to level 70" with "no restriction on playtime," covering three full games' worth of content[3]. *Final Fantasy XIV* itself had a notable comeback story. The original 2010 launch was so poorly received that it appeared on lists of games known for negative reception[5]. Square Enix shut the game down and rebuilt it from scratch as *A Realm Reborn* in 2013, turning it into one of the most popular MMOs in the world[5]. The copypasta meme captures the zeal of a fanbase that watched their game rise from the ashes. ## Fun Facts - Square Enix's game composer created music videos reenacting beloved in-game memes around the same time the copypasta was taking off, showing the company was fully on board with meme culture[1]. - The free trial pitch has been updated at least twice: first covering A Realm Reborn plus Heavensward (level 60), then adding Stormblood (level 70) in patch 6.5[3]. - Korea got an entirely different marketing campaign for FFXIV that included an anime-style promotional video, making the live-action copypasta ads a distinctly Western phenomenon[2]. - The original 2010 version of *Final Fantasy XIV* was so bad it made Wikipedia's list of games notable for negative reception, making the fanbase's evangelical enthusiasm for the rebuilt version all the more ironic[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG? It's a copypasta meme that mimics the enthusiastic pitch *Final Fantasy XIV* players give when promoting the game's free trial, often reciting the marketing details word-for-word as if programmed to do so[4]. ### Where did The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG come from? The copypasta originated around March 2021, coinciding with the launch of FFXIV's updated free trial website and a series of official YouTube ads promoting the trial[4]. ### What does The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG mean? The joke is that FFXIV fans are so enthusiastic about recruiting new players that they sound like walking advertisements, repeating the same scripted pitch about the free trial's features[2]. ### How do you use The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG? Paste the copypasta text into unrelated conversations, comment sections, or meme templates. The more out-of-place the pitch appears, the funnier it is[4]. ### Is The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG still popular? The meme saw a major resurgence in July 2023 when the free trial expanded to include Stormblood, with updated versions of the copypasta going viral again[4]. ### Did Square Enix acknowledge the meme? Yes. The FFXIV English Twitter account posted a version of the copypasta on April 17, 2021, and Square Enix produced live-action ads that deliberately played into the "annoying FFXIV friend" joke[1]. ### What does the actual copypasta say? The core text promotes FFXIV's free trial, mentioning you can play through A Realm Reborn and expansion content "with no restrictions on playtime." The exact wording updates as the trial expands[3]. ### Who created the word art versions? Twitter user HatashHyrunashi created the most popular word art arrangements of the copypasta, with posts in May 2021 and July 2023 each going viral[4]. ### Why is the FFXIV community so evangelical about the game? The free trial is genuinely one of the most generous in the MMO genre, offering hundreds of hours of content for free, which gives fans a strong pitch to work with[3]. ### What happened when Endwalker launched? The December 2021 launch overwhelmed servers so badly that players couldn't log in, spawning ironic edits of the copypasta joking about the free trial being inaccessible[4]. ## References 1. [Play FINAL FANTASY XIV's Free Trial]() 2. [You Have To Check Out Final Fantasy 14's Hilarious Live Action Trailers]() 3. [New Final Fantasy XIV ads are just channeling your annoying FFXIV friend]() 4. [The Critically Acclaimed MMORPG - Know Your Meme]() 5. [List of video games notable for negative reception]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/the-critically-acclaimed-mmorpg Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library