Swan Song of Vana'diel; ~Why I Won't Play the Mobile Native App~

[Duskira]

So yes I hate FFXIV, it's hard for me not to when it murdered something I love. I hate it with the blazing fury of a thousand angry suns.

Yeah... still gonna maintain that XIV did not murder XI. Time murdered XI. From a business standpoint, it makes more sense to make an entirely new game than to "modernize" a game with so many expansion packs and add-on scenarios that it's overwhelming and daunting to new players. The story ran itself out. I'm glad they didn't beat a dead horse by continuing on to expansion 35 or what have you; how utterly displeasing to a new player base. XI is already very much a catch-up game for new players at this point, adding even more expansions and add-on scenarios... it would be silly to start as a new player in a game that would take you years to clear up to the point of being current.

Having said that, XI is far from "murdered". Yes, it's a shadow of what it once was, but every time I log in I see new players. Granted, they aren't filling the streets of the major cities in droves, but I play during what you would not consider "peak times" (tonight I logged in for the first time today at a little past midnight) and I encountered two newbie players. I also found a LS with a great mix of veteran players (some 10+ years) and newer players (one who's been playing less time than I have!).

They also must be selling more copies recently, because when I bought the complete pack it was $19.99, I looked today and it's $29.99.

So, XI is not dead. Nobody murdered it. It's here, it's beautiful, it's enthralling, it's exciting. It's just old. It fell out of popularity. Oh well, it happens. I'm sorry the state of things have upset you, but your game has not been murdered. New players are finding themselves there every day, I'm glad to be one of them who wandered into Vana'diel recently, and I don't see myself leaving any time soon. :P

[Olor]

So I've come back after taking a couple months off, and I am enjoying myself. Still can't see myself playing the mobile version. I love my character and I never want to start a new one again. I'm hanging with a new player and two returning players (in addition to another LS of people I don't know as well). Last night we were doing Zilart missions (missions are a lot more fun with friends!) and we ran into another returning player doing them as well. He joined up with us, which is cool, and it shows that the game still has a lot of life in it.

I am having trouble understanding the devs. They say the game can't be developed anymore because PS2 dev kits are failing, but then they are doing this mobile farce? Why port to mobiles? It can't be cheaper than a proper port to PC. I am glad to be back but I worry about when the updates stop.

[madmartin]

I am having trouble understanding the devs. They say the game can't be developed anymore because PS2 dev kits are failing, but then they are doing this mobile farce? Why port to mobiles? It can't be cheaper than a proper port to PC. but I worry about when the updates stop.

Because in japan console and pc gaming is declining and mobile gaming is surging. Also the mobile version isn't a port from my understanding its being developed from the ground up so no ps2 dev kits required.

[Olor]

Because in japan console and pc gaming is declining and mobile gaming is surging. Also the mobile version isn't a port from my understanding its being developed from the ground up so no ps2 dev kits required.

This is what I am saying though - that's ludicrous to make a hollow shade of XI on mobile instead of doing a "rebirth" on PC like they did for XIV. And Japan isn't the only market for MMOs, its not even the biggest market for MMOs

It doesn't matter if billions of people have cell phones if no one wants to play your game on a cellphone. Cannot for the life of me see a cell phone gamer wanting to play anything like XI.

[bungiefanNA]

Mobile client is a different engine with different resources, and they are launching it with content including the first two expansions. There's a lot more content to update in PC FFXI to redo it, and by dropping consoles, they are leaving it on an unpopular platform in Japan, the PC. Globally, PC is popular, but inside Japan, mobile rules as a platform they would have a large playerbase for. Also, the game is not likely to be as complicated as PC FFXI on mobile, as they have to assume you just have a touchscreen, so mechanics like gear swapping and macros are probably going to be dropped. Zones are probably going to be shrunk down.

[Diraco]

Cell phones destroyed the market for real computers, and also the market for real games. That's progress.

[Aquilah]

The reason Square Enix isn't doing a PC rebirth has been touched upon above. Let me also offer this: Right now, Square Enix has two PC MMOs. One is dying (Let's face it, FFXI is not full of life right now), one is extremely active and successful.

They could "rebirth" FFXI on PC but you know what that would result in? Two of Square Enix's own MMOs competing with each other. From a business perspective, that's just a waste of money when FFXIV is already capturing that market. What would be the point?

The smarter decision is to re-position FFXI. To tap into a customer base that Square Enix hasn't already captured. The MMO market for cellphones is currently weak (but traditional MMOs do exist for cell phones, so hopefully that fact will ease the worries that FFXI mobile will just be screenshots and selecting quests from a touch screen), so that's a way FFXI AND FFXIV can coexist and make money for them at the same time. I think this is a good thing for FFXI overall. And if you're that attached to your characters/the current page, this will still be here for a few years yet.

They can't realistically hold onto the current FFXI forever. At least the game will continue in some official form after the death of the original.

[Draylo-]

Nobody wants it for the mobile, nobody. It can't ever be as complex as the current FFXI and will be a complete step down. You say that about FFXIV, but do you realize SE was creating FFXIV and released it when FFXI was successful and captured the market? Yet they released it anyway, why can't they do the same and make both games different. You don't lose any customer and even gain some if you reduce the sub price.

[Aquilah]

FFXIV was meant to succeed FFXI in the first place. That's why it had, like 90% of its races and throwbacks to all of FFXI's locations and lore. The only reason FFXI continued to stick around afterward was because FFXIV 1.0 failed miserably.
I don't think Square Enix anticipated ARR to be to blowout success it's been. But it is, so now FFXI with its 700ish active players tops on most servers no longer has a place here. Times change and so do plans. It would make them more money, especially in Japan, to move it to mobile phones and let both markets generate income instead of one.

You think FFXI can't be done on mobile phones? Go look up some traditional MMOs on mobile phones. They exist. And frankly, I think it'll be a step up. Because it's a chance for FFXI to have a modern UI and finally get the streamlining it sorely needs. There's nothing in this game that is so complicated that it can't be done on a mobile phone. However, I do hold no illusions that it's going to be a different game in a lot of ways too. They already stated they want to make it more solo friendly. So who knows what the future holds?

But I'm of the opinion that not all change is bad. And if nothing else, Squeenix is handling this gracefully by keeping the old servers alive for a few more years so everyone can play the original for a while longer.

[Draylo-]

First off the graphics will be worse, I can't imagine it having the same graphic quality on a phone? Second, who likes to sit and play on a phone when you have a perfectly capable PC or console? Maybe grandma's with their candy crush but not actual gamers who pay for these MMOs in the first place. I'll hold my judgment until its released but I don't expect much, I don't like to play phone games over a PC. Also the only MMO games I found to go mobile was silly free to play ones or maple story type stuff, that isn't exactly sealing the deal here.