Originally Posted by
Malefactor
Your assumption does seem realistic, based on the process and timeline in which FF14 was introduced. However, if i were the one making the decision, and I dont presume I know the intricate methodology of their business, I would simply cut down the development drastically, BUT continue developing the game and continue reaping profits, because it in fact has proven itself to be very stable given the sheer amount of time people have been hanging on to the game.
It wouldn't be a great loss financially to divert a majority of the developers over to 14, if they so wish, and simply create a schedule of perhaps one content update every 2 years, even once in 3 years if they like. That in itself would not be received extremely well by the community, however the psychology is sound in that people see a foreseeable future for the game.
To hope that some of the 11 players will move to 14 long term is a risky endeavour at best. Essentially if 11 players move on, there are no extra profits involved in that it's merely swapping one subscription for another, and the high likelihood that a lot of people dont even move over and either stop gaming or play other games.
In addition, they absolutely must see that FFXI is a game that holds extreme longevity, and that the theme park model of ff14, while very well received at the moment, may not offer similar longevity, given the lack of socialization and community, which is pretty much what binds people to a game in the first place. It seems a terrible mistake to bank everything on ff14 on the premise that at this very point in time, it offers higher margins on a sales chart. That seems to be like a horrible lack of foresight and a risky gamble.
Of course, if ffxi in itself is not making any profit and creating losses, then i fully understand their decision. However, in comparison with other games, we can safely assume they are making a profit, even though small. They just seem to not want to be bothered just to earn smaller profits, and in the end alienating their loyal players and creating distrust. In the end, is that worth the damage to their company reputation as a whole?
If they could do this to ffxi, I wouldnt want to go to ff14 either, because it's a vastly more volatile game by way of subscribership and they could shut that down at any point in time too.