Final Fantasy 14 will give you a dog (among other rewards) for paying your taxes—if you’re in Japan, that is. There’s really nothing else I can say that isn’t funnier than the truth of the situation, though I’m not pointing and laughing at Square here. It’s a genuinely sweet incentive to have players contributing to other municipalities.
As reported by Famitsu, Square is partnering with the Shibuya Ward (which it has an office in) as part of Japan’s “Furusato Nozei”, a system whereby urban Japanese residents can voluntarily put forward some of their money to rural areas of their choice, such as their hometown—in exchange, they get gifts, such as travel tickets, gift cards, and so on.
If you do this for Shibuya, you’ll get a dog. Specifically, you’ll get the Megashiba mount if you donate 9,000 yen (the equivalent of $55)—or a bunch of other rewards, including five fantasia (used to change your character’s appearance), the Collegiate Attire set, the Magitek Attire set, or a bunch of dance emotes, all with varying donation amounts.
The donation amounts are all far more expensive than their store prices. For instance, the Megashibu’s usually around 2,530 yen (roughly $16)—but if you’re a Japanese resident that’s feeling particularly charitable with your money, it’s a neat way to get some items while also contributing to the place you grew up.
Also, you can get a tax write-off if you’re over a certain amount—which is the slightly more self-serving reason to do it. But hey, if you’re paying a similar amount of yen in income tax anyway, it’s a neat way to get a free digital dog out of the whole deal. If you happen to live in Shibuya yourself, you can go to the official collab site to sign up.
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