Due to the continuous earthquakes occurring in the eastern regions of Japan since Mar. 10, 2011, the power companies in Japan have encouraged everyone to cooperate by conserving as much energy as possible as it is feared there will not be enough power supply. Based on the current situation, we have decided to shut down the game servers temporarily, and therefore to suspend services of FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XI, and PlayOnline temporarily.

The services will be temporarily suspended for at least a week starting on Mar. 13, 2011 10:00 (GMT). We will provide an update regarding the reinstatement of the service as additional information becomes available. In connection with the temporary suspension of services, players will not be billed for any PlayOnline service throughout the April billing cycle. Additional information regarding this matter will also be posted as it becomes available.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your understanding of this unusual situations.

[Date & Time]
A week starting from Mar. 13, 2011 10:00 (GMT)

[Affected Service]
- FINAL FANTASY XIV
- FINAL FANTASY XI
- PlayOnline

* The following services, normally accessible from the official PlayOnline homepage (PlayOnline.com (http://www.playonline.com/)), will be unavailable during this time.

- Friend List Plus
- FINAL FANTASY XI Linkshell Community Beta Version
- PlayOnline Friend List Application
- Community Site Link Registration: Owner Menu

* Additionally, the following types of support will also be temporarily unavailable:
- PlayOnline Password Recovery
- PlayOnline Account Cancellation
- All activities requiring the confirmation of personal information

* Please be advised that we will continue to operate the official websites, FINAL FANTASY XIV Lodestone, forums, and the SQUARE ENIX Support Center to be able provide our customers with updates on the current situation.
　　　　
[Reference]
An excerpt from the Caution posted on
TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY (TEPCO)�s home page:

A big earthquake occurred in the northern part of Japan at 5:46 (GMT) of March 10th 2011. Because TEPCO's facilities have been seriously damaged, power shortage may occur.
TEPCO appreciates customers' cooperation in reducing electricity usage by avoiding using unnecessary lighting and electrical equipment.
We are taking all measures to restore power, however, we expect extremely challenging situation in power supply for a while. We kindly ask our customers to cooperate with us in reducing usage of power.

Kinda knew something like this was coming. The servers may be done for a week or slightly longer, until the situation in Japan is repaired. Thoughts go out to the Japanese and anyone over in Japan at this time.

Source link: Temporary Suspension of the Services Due to Earthquake (http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/polnews/news20543.shtml)

I can't wait for us all to be in game again. I've had a horrible week feeling unwell, can't wait to hop on and get my mind off things ^^

I understand SE's reasoning; I hope things improve soon.

Temporary Suspension of the Services: Follow-up


Below is an update regarding the temporary suspension of the FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XI, and PlayOnline services.

Originally, we announced that the services will be temporarily suspended for about a week starting on Mar. 13, 2011 10:00 (GMT). However, due to ongoing issues with the lack of energy, we have decided to extend the suspension until Mar. 22, 2011 (JST). We will re-evaluate the situation on Mar. 22, 2011 (JST) and provide everyone with another update regarding this matter.

We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your continued understanding of this unusual situation.

[Date & Time]
From Mar. 13, 2011 10:00 (GMT)

[Affected Service]
- FINAL FANTASY XIV
- FINAL FANTASY XI
- PlayOnline

* The following services, normally accessible from the official PlayOnline homepage (PlayOnline.com (http://www.playonline.com/)), will be unavailable during this time.

- Friend List Plus
- FINAL FANTASY XI Linkshell Community Beta Version
- PlayOnline Friend List Application
- Community Site Link Registration: Owner Menu

* Additionally, the following types of support will also be temporarily unavailable:
- PlayOnline Password Recovery
- PlayOnline Account Cancellation
- All activities requiring the confirmation of personal information


From what I've been hearing on the news, things sound hopeful for Japan's situation... still a long way to go though.

Taken from the FFXI website:


As part of power conservation measures enacted following the Tohoku earthquake, our game servers were shut down on Mar. 13, 2011 10:00 (GMT) and services for FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XI, and PlayOnline (hereafter referred to as "these services") were temporarily suspended. We have determined a date for the restoration of these services, and would like to share this information with you.

Operating the servers for these services makes up 11.6% of the total power consumed by our Tokyo office (based on February 2011 records). We have shut down our air conditioning system (8.8%) and enacted other power conservation measures, such as reducing lighting in our offices, to achieve over 10% in energy usage reductions. With these energy saving measures in place, we will be able to bring our servers back online and restore service to FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XI, and PlayOnline on Mar. 25, 2011 11:00 (GMT). All other services, such as those offered on the PlayOnline website, that were temporarily suspended will also be restored at the same time. Please be aware, however, that we may once again be required to suspend services in the event that the power situation worsens.

We offer our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused by the temporary suspension of these services, and thank you for your understanding. As noted in our original notice regarding the suspension of these services, customers will not be charged any monthly fees for FINAL FANTASY XI throughout the April billing cycle.

We at the Square Enix group are trying to act in a proactive manner in order to provide support towards the relief and restoration efforts in the face of this unprecedented disaster while providing reliable service to our customers, and we thank you for your understanding and support.

Source: FINAL FANTASY XI Official Web Site (http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/polnews/news20552.shtml)

I'd say that this is a sign of good news for Japan... restoration of power is a good sign.