ok.
+10 characters
The difference is that if all casuals leave, server population would drop to less than 10% of it.
And let's be real: if FFXIV player count drops to under 70k active players on all servers, you bet they'll start closing the less populated and transfer players to other servers. Drop more than this and entire datacenters will be turned off. And that with more spaced patches, less active development, less events, less everything.
Until the day that the last server would be turned off for good.
If all healer mains dropped the game, other players could assume this role. If all casuals drop off the game, it's the end of this game.
All games will close down for good sooner or later. There's no escaping it.
Question is just when that will happen.
Will it be next year? In 5 years? 10? Who knows.
So when that happens I do hope that people who feel so incredibly attached to said game won't get too depressed.
So instead of getting upset and arguing with one another, play the game and have a good time while it lasts.
Because it might end sooner than expected. So better to enjoy as long as it lasts.
And if the game isn't fun anymore? No one's keeping you to stay around. Go and find other games that brings more joy.
I've experienced MMOs close down, MMOs that I've loved so I know that nothing lasts 4ever.
And some of those game were the companies biggest money makers at the time they closed.
So nothing's safe no matter how good it does.
Maybe there needs to be a 'hard' date for a 1 day strike or something, If enough actually do it devs will take notice.
I.E say, Tue 14th of Jan is no FFXIV day or something. 1 day of the player base putting our heels in to show SE things are not working and just play something else for that single day.
Not going to happen ofcourse as getting the playerbase to agree on something like that AND have them follow through is unlikely lol.
Do wish i could sit down with Yoshi-P/the team for a few hours and hash out the problems im seeing with the game i love and enact meaningful change.