We are actually getting a Mobile FF14 ? WHAT!?

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Originally Posted by Kunzite_Lockhart

Ah, so that was one of their 'mysterious projects.'
Now we get why they’re putting less and less effort into the game and throwing our money away on mobile trash.
I don’t want to be a downer, but I really don’t think this project’s gonna make it

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No, this was something that we knew about specifically in addition to the mystery projects.

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Originally Posted by Kohashi

Not be the harbinger of bad news but it seems that SE is seeing the constant decline of FF14 as a sign that the main game is on the way out. So they want to ensure everything is milked to the fullest potential until it finally completely dies out.

No prosperous game ever did a Mobile version unless it was dying and they wanted to get as many funds as possible for their next title.

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From the past we know SE WANTS a mmo. FFXI was for a long time the money cow of SE. Today it's XIV. But do you really think SE can make a new mmo work when they killed the previous one with their bad decisions. Sure some will go for curiosity, but the mmo era is mostly done. Launching a new mmo is a risky, and mmo players are mostly alienated by players of the previous one. FFXIV has to have a good death, for the next SE mmo to not start with a bullet in the foot.

Cant wait for them to pull some bullshit ‘since we’re doing a mobile game we have to make patches 12 months apart instead of 6 sorry bros wwww’ excuse. The game isn’t even being developed by SE lol yet they’ll use it just another excuse for the slop we’re served every patch

A realm Mobilied?

A realm re-reborn?

Bad sign in 10char

Actually now that I had time to mull it over i have to ask who is this product even for? I understand wanting to reach the mobile market and all but ARR is offered for free already in the free trial so a mobile version that possibly has more micro-transactions just seems a rather wasted development.

mfw the classes are more fun on ipad

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Originally Posted by Xeronia

Actually now that I had time to mull it over i have to ask who is this product even for? I understand wanting to reach the mobile market and all but ARR is offered for free already in the free trial so a mobile version that possibly has more micro-transactions just seems a rather wasted development.

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Asian mobile gaming market is huge and Tencent is putting some money into this. Add some gacha mechanics and this will probably be a big hit over in China/Korea/Japan. The rest of the world, probably not.

So instead of giving us classic servers, they are going to release classic as a F2P/P2W gacha where you're going to be nickel and dimed instead of just... releasing classic servers... gg Squeenix lol

Maybe that's why they're numbing down the combat system, to make it work on mobile on the eventual day they'll do cross-platform.

I can't put into words how much I don't like this.

The trailer feels exactly like what I excepted from its mobile game iteration: flashy, sparkly, casual fun without much substance. Nothing of the things that define FF14 and ARR. Not even a mention of that weighty, epic story, no scenes with a serious or darker tone. Just a firework of fun colours and happy partytime.

(Also, I know we didn't have au ra, viera and hroth NPCs in ARR but I don't think it's a smart move to not include them as playable races from the start. (At least I didn't see any in the trailer?) They are such fan favourites after all, esp. viera and au ra. Not being able to play as either of them and potentially having to wait till heavensward/shadowbringers, which is years from now, makes me even less interested.)

Also, since mobile gaming is a lot more widespread in Japan and China iirc (though please correct me if I'm wrong) and gacha makes so much money, in conjunction with their restrictive and outdated spaghetti code for PC/consoles, I'm worried that they might prepare to slowly move away from PC/consoles alltogether and aim to turn FF14 into a purely mobile title in the long run. Not next year or the 2-3 years afterwards but perhaps across the next 10 years with the full switch coming when this post-EW arc with its 2-3 expansions comes to a close.

I guess like this they can start over with fresh code while also turning it into an even more "profitable" (but not necessarily more player-friendly) game.

Though I guess with new code/a new engine they could also pull a Genshin and try to develop a true cross-platform game that works on mobile and stationary devices. (Though this might make cross-platform team-fights hard/impossible because of the stark differences in gameplay limitations between platforms. Genshin is already held back by that a lot and it shows.)

My thoughts on this

I dont like it, but its not taking resources away from XIV, SE got licensed the I.P to tencent and it'll probably just stick to Asian markets, not gonna play a mobile game but it aint draining resources from XIV, I dont think this will do well in the west either, but it'll probably do decently well in Japan and China.

THAT SAID, I do think FFXIV has an I.P or a brand is no longer that plucky underdog and this just points to another symptom of a game which is past its peak.

Only fear is that it's f2p and they try to link it to the non mobile FFXIV in anyway.

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Originally Posted by WillIrishclover

I dont like it, but its not taking resources away from XIV, SE got licensed the I.P to tencent

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It's being supervised by FFXIV devs and Yoshi-P. How is that not taking resources away from FFXIV? Development time is a resource too.

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FFXIV MOBILE is officially licensed by SQUARE ENIX and developed by LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS under the supervision of FFXIV Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida and development team members.

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I can't imagine it being the same ff14 we have (If it is thats 100% bad news for the game).
So it seems like resources going elsewhere yet again... woo.

Oh fun another one if these... wait... its not April 1st...

Something odd is that there's a paragraph on the Japanese and Chinese pages talking about their attempts to faithfully recreate the character visuals that's absent from the English one.

Machine translation:

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Each race has its own unique production process. For example, in the creation of Hyuran males, it is important to convey a calm and friendly personality. In designing the textures for the characters' faces, we sought a natural finish that accentuates their personalities while avoiding excessive realism and flamboyant details and instead focusing on the style of the original work. In addition, in creating Lalafell, applying the same techniques as for the Hyuran male would have resulted in dark shadows on the face. For Lalafell, we adjusted the unevenness of the high polygon model repeatedly in ZBrush and weakened the NormalMap value to adjust the vertex normals of the face so that the shadows would not be too dark. This allows for an expression that brings out Lalafell's cuteness even more.

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The promotional images have obviously been touched up, but they also look much loser to a high res ARR than the updates in DT.

What would happen if FFXIV Mobile is better than Retail? I see a lot of people quitting retail and moving to mobile

Oh watched Yoshi P's interview about it, yeah its definitely more for the Asian mobile market, so;
• Going to be rolling out in China 1st, global later on
• It'll be F2P with some other form of monetization
• Starts off with 2.0, expansions later
• NOT part of CBU3 development

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Originally Posted by Miguel85NYC

What would happen if FFXIV Mobile is better than Retail? I see a lot of people quitting retail and moving to mobile

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You couldn't pay me to play through ARR again...

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Originally Posted by VeyaAkemi

You couldn't pay me to play through ARR again...

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“Are you there? Its me. Pray return to the Waking Sands at your earliest convenience.”

“The linkpearl you have dialed is no longer in service.”

/playdead

If there is only a single collectible, that incentivizes me to install this garbage mobile app, I will unsub for good.

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Originally Posted by Doragan

so you can expect 100% expect aggressive, Genshin lootboxes in that one

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I'm sorry im wheezing over this. You do know Genshin has exactly 0 lootboxes right

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Originally Posted by Reinha

It's being supervised by FFXIV devs and Yoshi-P. How is that not taking resources away from FFXIV? Development time is a resource too.

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In the interview Yoshi talks about how he always thought about it and how he designed the game in such a way that it can be used for mobile.
Well, here you have your answer for years of casual stuff happening.

https://i.imgur.com/Q96SVb1.png
https://i.imgur.com/AiOqgM3.png

Just another nail in the coffin of everyone who hopes for more complexity. Even the launch trailer has the PvP area in it? Oh my.. lmao

I know there's bound to be a huge market for this [not me] and it's thankfully a separate game entirely, but it's so funny they just can't stop remaking ARR lmao

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Originally Posted by NoonDawn

I'm sorry im wheezing over this. You do know Genshin has exactly 0 lootboxes right

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So you don't 'open' a virtual box of sorts to get a randomized virtual reward? And those 'boxes' can be purchased with real money?

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Originally Posted by BeoCat

Asian mobile gaming market is huge and Tencent is putting some money into this. Add some gacha mechanics and this will probably be a big hit over in China/Korea/Japan. The rest of the world, probably not.

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Why is it when I read this I immediately thought of this?

Don't mind me, carry on.

Why in the hell, do we need this?!
At this point they're just money grabbing tits that need to stop.

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Originally Posted by Commander_Justitia

In the interview Yoshi talks about how he always thought about it and how he designed the game in such a way that it can be used for mobile.
Well, here you have your answer for years of casual stuff happening.

https://i.imgur.com/Q96SVb1.png
https://i.imgur.com/AiOqgM3.png

Just another nail in the coffin of everyone who hopes for more complexity. Even the launch trailer has the PvP area in it? Oh my.. lmao

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Yoshida: "See, we didn't ask you if you had phones. We just built the phone game into FFXIV."

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Originally Posted by Loggos

Though I guess with new code/a new engine they could also pull a Genshin and try to develop a true cross-platform game that works on mobile and stationary devices.

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I think the next "MMO" SE releases will be a cross platform mobile first experience. Think Toram Online/Genshin Impact. This makes sense financially, as SE has long sought the profitability of free-to-play games. The significant rise in FFXIV store prices shows players are buying, similar to mobile game spending. The crossover audience is there, and SE seems to have started the transition.

Arguments defending SE's use of funds often cite event rewards, but these events typically last 20 minutes, involve minimal effort (like talking to NPCs), and the items quickly land in the store. Those who didn't do the event no longer have access to those items unless they purchase them. Then, those items have variants made that are non tradeable/sellable in game. Forcing players who want these items to use the store, is what is known in the marketing world as "activation" to which they are likely to do this action again and with less resistance. Mobile games literally have tutorials for this. Even trying on store items in-game is a mobile-inspired feature, though not inherently bad.

This raises a key question: wasn’t this game meant to avoid FOMO? Players are encouraged to take breaks, yet the slower content drip-feed and growing store inventory say otherwise. Like ask yourself for one second, why don't we have craftable christmas trees in the game, or why aren't those items a constant seasonal rewards? Its because they want you to buy it. The last time one was put in game was 2015. FFXI had like 4 or 5 that you could constantly get. The ONLY way you can get them now is if by chance someone has one that they haven't used and its up on the Market Board for like 20 mil, or if you buy one form the store to which there are like 4 or 5.

SE's push to mobile seems clear, reflected in the shift to simplified combat, hub-city AFK content, and non-tradable items.

On a hopeful note—and with plenty of copium—I still think FF7R and R2 were excellent games that prove SE has dignity left. Even in FF14 DT, battle encounters have shown improvement. If Yoshi-P delivers more varied jobs in the next expansion, SE might transform FFXIV into a true MMO "loss leader" (like WoW) while keeping mobile games as their cash cow. However, if job design stagnates, I’ll take it as a sign of the inevitable mobile-focused future, at which point I’d rather invest elsewhere or support private servers.

It doesn't even concern the main community in terms of what it affects; it's a standalone experience separate from the main FFXIV game.

Think of it like Diablo: Immortal, (but probably better) it's got it's own servers and service that does not intersect with us.

They will (probably) have crossover/collaboration events once it does come out globally, but overall it should have no negative impact on us, if anything it's going to bring in extra revenue that could potentially be used for the main game and it's future content.

It feels like someone at SE decided there's very little growth in PC/console gaming with the mobile/tablet generations and is trying to tap the mobile audience but... I don't understand how they plan to do that with this game specifically.

This isn't the sort of game that is suited for the short attention span of mobile gaming which is meant to be fast and short sessions while you're waiting for a bus to arrive or for water to boil. Is it just not going to have dungeons? Trusts only? Is the entire thing just going to be GATES? I don't understand how this would be monetized.

Really disappointing to see money put into something so meaningless though.

My big fear now is that they'll try to link it to the actual game somehow, because I can't imagine anything being compelling enough to make me play a mobile version of FFXIV and it'd hurt to miss out on things as some sort of "incentive" to make a mobile game look successful.

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Originally Posted by Ritsugamesh

Is this where our sub money has gone? To remake the game on mobile starting from ARR again?

Maybe they've realised they've ran out of road with how garbage Dawntrail is and they just want to try and milk the original decade all over again. I'm joking but... Also... Am I?

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Had me in the fist half ngl, but Dawntrail has been great so far.

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Originally Posted by Ephremjlm

I think the next "MMO" SE releases will be a cross platform mobile first experience. Think Toram Online/Genshin Impact.

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Yep I agree and that's exactly what I fear. :(
I play Genshin and I like it. It has definitely pushed the boundaries of mobile gaming and is fun to play as a casual/not very difficult combat game on console/PC.
But the limitations placed on the game design due to it having to be playable on mobile are clearly noticeable. Not just in terms of specs but also in terms of the type of gameplay/complexity they can implement.
When I think about what Genshin could be if it was just for console/PC I get a bit sad because it has all the potential. You could get so much more elaborate and even cooler gameplay out of it.

The reversal of good game design towards simplicity to make things compatible with mobile gaming because it's more profitable makes sense from a business perspective of course. But from the perspective of a gaming enthusiast it's just disheartening to see that this is gonna be the major game design model (for life service games at least) going forwards, coming at the cost of more complex gaming experiences we could have had otherwise.

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Originally Posted by Ascended_Demon

You know what would be funny? I mean really funny? If the mobile version had unrestricted glamour and it made people put more pressure on the devs to do the same in standard game.

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You know what would be funny? If the gameplay wasn't complete ass and it made people put more pressure on the devs to do the same in the standard game.

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Originally Posted by Neoyoshi

It doesn't even concern the main community in terms of what it affects; it's a standalone experience separate from the main FFXIV game.

Think of it like Diablo: Immortal, (but probably better) it's got it's own servers and service that does not intersect with us.

They will (probably) have crossover/collaboration events once it does come out globally, but overall it should have no negative impact on us, if anything it's going to bring in extra revenue that could potentially be used for the main game and it's future content.

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Imagine using DIABLO IMMORTAL to try and save face for FFXIV Mobile

You do remember how well that was received...right? Or do I need to remind you Blizzard was boo'd off the stage for that game.

Let alone the post on the previous page which has Yoshi-P himself state that decisions they made in FFXIV were made with Mobile in mind.

I hope you are ready for the job overhauls in 8.0 knowing that they will have mobile in mind during the design process.

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Originally Posted by Rehayem

Maybe that's why they're numbing down the combat system, to make it work on mobile on the eventual day they'll do cross-platform.

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No, don't speak that evil into existence, cuz it makes sense and it's gonna make me lose my mind!

Whatever, at least they can probably advertise their cook book with all the food they keep pushing into the quests lately.

let's not fix the problem we have like healer feeling useless lack of content Viera/hroth that cannot wear hats new hairstyle better customization more hair color.


nah let's go do a mobile port instead more money

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Originally Posted by Aidorouge

Well... I see where all the time, money, and resources for the PC version was going now...

We got the 7.x patch series for this.

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As far as I can tell, no CBU3 budget funds are being spent by Tencent, so your statement is unsound at best. When I read that SE would "oversee" the project, my mind goes towards "No, putting Y'shtola in a bikini is not appropriate" rather than "CBU3 personnel are deeply involved in making the game".

Letting Tencent create a mobile version of an MMORPG while paying SE for the assets and relative IP is much more profitable compared to having to abandon a number of games-in-progress because the market for said games appears to have tanked.

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Originally Posted by DPZ2

When I read that SE would "oversee" the project, my mind goes towards "No, putting Y'shtola in a bikini is not appropriate"

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I would bet Gil this will literally be the first thing they do.

‘Sexy Scion Glamours Banner now Open! Only £5.99 per outfit! Purchase all 10 now and get a FREE Y’shtola Bikini wallpaper for your phone!’