Final Fantasy 14 Rewards Japanese Players for Paying Their Real-Life Taxes With a Giant Dog

Final Fantasy 14 players in Japan now have the opportunity to get in-game cosmetics and items by paying their real life taxes, as reported by Famitsu. These rewards include the online MMORPG’s Megashiba Mount.

Japan has a Hometown tax initiative (Furusato Nozei), which allows people to redirect portions of their residence tax to other areas of the country, even if they don’t live there. In return, you can choose a special gift from the region (everything from local snacks and traditional handcrafted items, to hotel stays and local cultural experiences). The scheme launched back in 2008 with the aim of directing tax funds back to rural, less-populated areas, but now almost every municipality in the country offers some kind of reward via the scheme. It’s a win-win as local governments receive more funds, while taxpayers receive presents in exchange for tax money they would have had to fork out anyway.

In recent years, some areas have started offering digital rewards. For example, last year Shibuya ward offered in-game currency in the popular mobile games Monster Strike and Kotodaman (as reported by Automaton).

Now, Shibuya ward and Square Enix have teamed up to offer rewards for the online MMORPG Final Fantasy 14. As the special site shows, players in Japan can choose between six different sets of in-game items and cosmetics to purchase with their residence tax. Namely, three costume sets priced at 7,000 yen (approx. $43) each: the Majitek Attire, Collegiate Attire (Skirt), and Collegiate Attire (Slacks) sets), four dance emotes for 11,000 yen (approx. $68), a set of five Phials of Fantasia for 17,000 yen (approx. $105), and the Megashiba Mount for 9,000 yen (approx. $56).

Final Fantasy 14 players outside Japan needn’t feel too left out though, as these items can be purchased from the Final Fantasy 14 online store.

Some of the Final Fantasy 14 rewards on offer sync up nicely with this area of Tokyo. The Megashiba mount is a giant, rideable dog. Shibuya is famous for Hachiko, a dog who loyally waited for his owner outside of Shibuya Station, even after his master passed away. There is a statue dedicated to the patient pup outside the station, and the true story has inspired a couple of movie adaptations, including Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, starring Richard Gere.

Although Hachiko was a different Japanese dog breed (an Akita rather than a Shiba Inu), it seems likely that Shibuya Ward and Square Enix decided to include the Megashiba Mount in the Hometown tax scheme as a reference to Shibuya’s famous dog. The Collegiate Attire Costumes also mesh well with Shibuya, as with its fashion stores, live music venues, cafes and night clubs it’s known as an area for youth culture.

Image credit: Square Enix.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.



from IGN Articles https://ift.tt/gJeWpBy
via IFTTT

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Wick Pinball Machine Announced, Touts Pinball’s First AI-Augmented Software

The next Stern Pinball machine will be based on the John Wick movie franchise, including music, movie clips, and likenesses of all major characters – most importantly that of Keanu Reeves, who graces the art and presumably many clips of assassinations. This is not Keanu’s first pinball appearance – he’s already been the star of the 1995 machine from Williams, Johnny Mnemonic, and Reeves was a cast member that appeared in Williams’ Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which was also a game in 1993. John Wick seems to be primarily themed around assassinations appropriately, and that’s where things get weird. Causing trouble for you is an AI-controlled opponent. Here’s how Stern says this all will work: To raise the stakes, John Wick pinball introduces Stern’s all-new dynamic AI combat system, an innovation that brings the frenetic combat of the legendary films to the game. The Stern team has created a primitive video game AI system to control the enemy lights on the playfield, setting the John W...
Read more

The Best Deals Today: Wuchang, Apple AirTags, Death Stranding 2, and More

Image
We've rounded up the best deals for Sunday, October 12, below, so don't miss out on these limited-time offers. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers for $39.99 Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is available on sale for the first time since launch. In our 8/10 review , we wrote, "Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is yet another great soulslike to add to the ever-increasing pile, featuring excellent combat, wonderful level design, an incredible skill tree, and fearsome bosses." Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for $49.99 Death Stranding 2: On The Beach has hit a brand-new all-time low price today on Amazon, sitting at $49.99 for a physical copy. Months after the events of the first game, Sam Porter Bridges sets off on a new journey to link together the continent of Australia in hopes of connecting it to the recently established UCA. The sequel upgrades gameplay tremendously, with a fantastic narrative and score that are sure to be memorable for any player. Apple AirTag 4-Pack for $64.99 ...
Read more

Magic: The Gathering Full Release Schedule for 2025

Image
It'd be fair to say that Magic: The Gathering is having a very busy year. From the record-breaking Final Fantasy set , to trips to space with Edge of Eternities , this year sees the release calendar split between Universes Beyond (using third-party IP like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Marvel's Spider-Man ) and Magic's own characters and settings. All of the upcoming new sets we know about are already available to preorder or buy on Amazon . That said, please also consult your local game store to find out when they're accepting preorders as well. MTG: 2025 Release Calendar - At a Glance Here’s your set-by-set guide to what’s dropping in 2025, breaking down release dates, when you can get your hands on everything, where you can preorder, and even includes a running list of every Secret Lair drop so far this year. We're starting off with a quick glance over the 2025 release calendar, but let's jump into a more in-depth look as well. Innistrad Remastered ...
Read more