It’s not often that you see a publisher suspend its digital gaming sales due to an overabundance of demand, but that appears to be what Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (FFXIV) has done. As part of Square Enix’s temporary measures to address the lengthy login times that players have been experiencing since the start of early access this weekend, the digital game sales for FFXIV have been temporarily suspended.

In addition to the temporary halt in sales, Square Enix will also be making enhancements to the NA, EU, and Japanese data centers to improve the login and matchmaking process. Read the full message below.

Source: FFXIV Announcement

Announcing Server Enhancements and the Temporary Suspension of Digital Download Sales (08/28/2013)

We would like to thank you for your continued support of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn.

Since the start of early access on Saturday, August 24th, an enormous amount of users have been logging in to the game. As such, the number of users logging in has been increasing at a rate that is much higher than what we had originally anticipated. To ensure that we maintain a quality level of service for everyone, we have been setting restrictions on both the creation of characters as well as adjusting the number of users that are able to log in. We are well aware that these restrictions are a source of frustration for our users who are waiting to play.

To address this matter, we are currently working on introducing new Worlds and enhancing the performance of the login and match making processes on both the Japanese and North American & European data centers. This operation is expected to be completed at the beginning of next week.

Until this operation is complete, we would like to prioritize the quality of service for those who have already purchased the game. Therefore, we are temporarily suspending the sale of the digital download versions of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. Once the operation has been completed, the sale of the digital download version will resume.

While the operation is in progress, we will continue to apply restrictions on both the creation of characters and the ability to log into the game. Throughout this time, we will be offering constant updates on the progress of the operation.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this causes our users and humbly request your understanding.