Whats the Plans for FFXI's Future with Newer OS's\Operating Drivers/Software Coming?>

[Seillan]

They may have announced that they had plans to end the game in the past, but in this situation, they've actually announced the plans themselves.

Obviously, nothing is for certain, but as it stands; their announcement of Final Fantasy XI Mobile suggests they really don't intend to do much if anything new with the current FFXI client after bringing the story to a close. Anything "fresh" or "new" about how the game plays or appears is likely to be found in Final FFXI Mobile, given the intention to design a less clunky UI, improve the ease of creating a party, as well as playing solo. On top of that, they intend to release with perhaps only the first 1-2 expansions' worth of content. Given all this, plus their statement that they're deliberately looking to reduce the spending necessary on the original game, it seems apparent that they have little to no reason to revamp or update any part of the original client, given that's essentially what the mobile client to be (and since it's being made from the ground up for mobile, I imagine it'll be done much easier than working with something designed around the PS2 dev kit)

It's a shame they couldn't have just did a proper PC client instead, but I guess mobile is much more popular in Japan. I have a feeling it won't do so well anywhere else though, so I don't have much faith in the mobile version lasting all that long outside of Japan. Guess we'll see how it pans out soon enough.

[bungiefanNA]

The thing is, EVERYONE in Japan has a phone. PCs are not as prevalent, and are seen as machines used at work to do work. Phones have been so capable for so long that mobile internet rules Japan much more than PC internet does. They've had RPGs on their phones since around 2000, when we didn't even have smartphones, or much more than capability to send multimedia messages to each other. FFVII Before Crisis on phones predates the iPhone.

Namco of Japan tried a PC-only Tales MMORPG, Tales of Eternia Online, in 2006, and shut it down just over a year later due to low numbers of players. PC games just don't sell in large numbers in Japan. Consoles, arcades, and phones are king. FFXI going PC-only is pretty much going to kill the JP player population, though some might switch. Mobile is the way to relaunch it and keep it going in Japan.

Source, from a person living in Japan:

http://www.mmogames.com/gamearticles...mmo-mans-land/

[Alhanelem]

Pokemon Crystal was the first pokemon game to have online features (via a cellphone linked to the gameboy by cable), but the online area in the game was dummied out in the NA version of the game, largely because cellphones really hadn't taken off yet here, so most of us were unaware for years that it was a thing.

[Seillan]

The thing is, EVERYONE in Japan has a phone. PCs are not as prevalent, and are seen as machines used at work to do work. Phones have been so capable for so long that mobile internet rules Japan much more than PC internet does. They've had RPGs on their phones since around 2000, when we didn't even have smartphones, or much more than capability to send multimedia messages to each other. FFVII Before Crisis on phones predates the iPhone.

Namco of Japan tried a PC-only Tales MMORPG, Tales of Eternia Online, in 2006, and shut it down just over a year later due to low numbers of players. PC games just don't sell in large numbers in Japan. Consoles, arcades, and phones are king. FFXI going PC-only is pretty much going to kill the JP player population, though some might switch. Mobile is the way to relaunch it and keep it going in Japan.

Source, from a person living in Japan:

http://www.mmogames.com/gamearticles...mmo-mans-land/

Oh, I'm not doubting it will do well in Japan, I just worry about the longevity of it here in the states and elsewhere, where smartphone gaming is looked at as more of a novelty for killing a few minutes on the bus or whatever.

[Teleste]

*fingers crossed for new quality of life Windows PC Client updates, tweaks and changes*