Congrats Yoshi P. on your promotion

[Pride_Xiv]

lmao... his direction wasn't even any good, what would promoting him do any different?

i wish there was a refund, but alas, i'll just consider my CE + 3 months sub as a lesson learned. i fell for the sweet talks and grand promises, only to be left disappointed and unsatisfied.

Wish there was a refund for you too so you lose access and we don't see this complaining which does not contribute at all to the topic lol

[MStowastiqVahlshdeh]

From what I understand, the launch issues were because so many people wanted to play the game immediately and it surpassed anticipated goals/margins in a way they were not prepared for, overwhelming the servers that were not intended to handle that much business. So they had to temporarily cancel digital download sales while they expanded/optimized to accommodate the eager customers because they literally could not take anymore business until they made room for it. I think they are handling it just fine. It is only the first couple months and it would be insanely foolish to stop expansion now.

Anyway congrats Yoshi P! Looking forward to the live letter this weekend!

[Jre418]

Yoshi P should be taken off the committee he has yet to prove to have good a vision just look at DQX and this game they are not good games at all. This game started of fine but then it started to fall fast and I don't see coming back from it. This game was dumbed down to much and the devs seemed to have gotten lazy based on the content I have played.

[Pandastirfry]

Wrong - XI hit 780k players at it's peak, which was quite a lot for a "hard" MMORPG back then, especially since MMOs in 2002-2005 were still very much considered niche.

What she is talking about is the news article around CoP's launch (iirc a month or two after) where they celebrated 1 million subscribers, but that number dipped down to 780k with 2 characters. What you are referring to is the fact it maintained 500k for numerous years.

I can find no corroborating evidence for 1mill subs. Every chart and news post I turn up shows XI peaked at ~550 thousand, I can't find anything that shows XI ever had more subscribers than Everquest.

[CatofNineTails]

From what I understand, the launch issues were because so many people wanted to play the game immediately and it surpassed anticipated goals/margins in a way they were not prepared for, overwhelming the servers that were not intended to handle that much business. So they had to temporarily cancel digital download sales while they expanded/optimized to accommodate the eager customers because they literally could not take anymore business until they made room for it. I think they are handling it just fine. It is only the first couple months and it would be insanely foolish to stop expansion now.

yes lets not look at how they knew exactly how many codes were released prior to the release or the OB. since that would mean they could have been ready for those very numbers right?

its nice to toss off how horrible the launch was with excuses but don't play the they didn't know card its not true!

[Zezlar]

His work on XIV is something, but he hasn't produced an AAA title yet.

[GinTama]

cos i've paid for a subscription? i'm entitled to every aspect of it until my time has run out. simple.

be cause you have nothing better to do lol.

[Reslin]

yes lets not look at how they knew exactly how many codes were released prior to the release or the OB. since that would mean they could have been ready for those very numbers right?

its nice to toss off how horrible the launch was with excuses but don't play the they didn't know card its not true!

They knew how many codes. They didn't expect them to sell out within a week. They stated they didn't even expect to have as many players as they do right now initially due to how badly 1.0 did. They didn't think that many players would give it a chance.

[Iskander]

no FFXI announced 2 million accounts about 3 years into its NA launch a while after PS2 was added prior to PS2 they originally anounced the topping 1 million accounts.

Do you normally just spout information without the information to back it up?

From the PlayOnline Website:

Vana'dielian Population Tops Two Million! (04/22/2009)

It is our distinct pleasure to announce that during the third week of April, the total number of active characters across all worlds in FINAL FANTASY XI has exceeded the two million mark for the first time!
Since the commencement of service on May 16th, 2002, Vana'diel has gone on to become a vibrant gathering place for adventurers hailing from all corners of the globe. Boasting four expansions and one add-on scenario with two more in the pipes, FINAL FANTASY XI continues to evolve into an ever richer realm of magic and adventure.

[CatofNineTails]

They knew how many codes. They didn't expect them to sell out within a week. They stated they didn't even expect to have as many players as they do right now initially due to how badly 1.0 did. They didn't think that many players would give it a chance.

now i know you are simply excusing anything. they not only knew how many codes sold for pre orders they knew the vast majority of them LONG before early release because they had them already sold long before the last week. but that aside 2 months before OB they (SE) announced 1 million applications to beta. this is not numbers out of the blue.
they knew the extent of the player base they were faced with well before either of the two times the servers were squashed. that they didn't prepare for it is obvious and trying to say they didn't see it coming is lip service/ PR snowballing people like you who believed it.