Is SE's Marketing / PR department -severely- hurting the games chances of success?

[Azurymber]

The only "PR and Marketing" for this game is in slumber because they dare not breath a word about it to the general public until it's representable. As for us who are currently playing, they don't need to "Earn" our support nor do they need to impress us. SE needs to make this game work for the general public not the small crowd of people either cheering or booing them.

They give us information when they think it's ready to come out, they will continue to be as "Cryptic" as you say, as they want. Summer 2011 isn't what I would call vague, it sounds like the entirety of the season, summer is a season not a date on a callendar. Hell they can delay everything on that list and not tell us until months afterwards. I doubt the entire list will be finished by summer it was a massive undertaking and we the comunity continue to throw them more and more curvballs that they need to adjust too to make sure the game comes out in the best possible shape for when it is re-released.

Yoshida gave us a timeline, not a set date. The game is still in developement and developement scheduels can and will change to fit the needs of the game. Nobody cares if "Summer" comes and goes and there is still work to do. If thats outside of your realm of perception you don't have to wait the door is over there and we wont miss you one bit. If the game fails so be it, but what we don't need is blind pecimism with little to no basis.

Marketing and PR for this game is the last thing on there mind, as it should be.

*edit*
Whats with all the stupid semantics about the TRANSLATED developer post? Translation errors happen all the time and unless you are fluint in Japanese I doubt you can go double check the official post to see if it's 100% flawless anyways.

Who cares if it was "Summer 2011" or "Until summer 2011" It can and will probably be much longer than that.

If this game can't impress current players there will be no networking effect in promotions for the game (ex. no one will tell their friends to go buy it).
If this games reputation gets considerably worse (ex. been around for a year and still broken) no one will take it seriously when its fixed

Its basic marketing that you always please the customer EVEN if they are a$$holes because an angry customer or a customer who dislikes your product can do a lot of damage.

If a lot of people quit because of SE now, their friends will know about it, and then never want to get the game.

When a game has a horrible reputation you can't overturn it overnight. Launching a huge advertising campaign when the game is fixed won't do anything when people go to game sites and see the game has a 4.0 rating.

The only way for this game to be successful now is by word of mouth and MAYBE via PS3 release in Japan.
And for that to occur, marketing and PR is needed -now-

[Poipori]

Ahh, the number of times of sheer disappointment when a patch is released.

"Woohoo! NMs are coming! this is gonna be fun!" -> 5 NMs

"Woohoo! quests are coming! this is gonna be fun!" -> kill X mob, fetch X item.

"Woohoo! grand companies are coming! this is gonna be fun!" -> 1 webpage + 1 introduction quest

Just remember to set the bar low(extremely low) when it comes to patches.

[LoLo]

Azurymber: Thank you!!!!!!!!! You couldn't have said it better. Everything you said it spot on and timely.

[Joeking]

Just remember to set the bar low(extremely low) when it comes to patches.

I'm not limber enough to play Limbo if the bar is too low.. My body is... not ready.

[Shai]

I agree to a point that they don't need to worry about losing us as customers, so they don't exactly need to cater to us, but shouldn't they want us promoting their game for them? Shouldn't they want their current players saying "You guys need to come back! You can't believe the last patch! You can't believe how different the game is! You can't believe how well the forums have turned out, how good communication is, how nice it is to have back and forth with the Reps/Devs!"

I promoted the shit out of this game for SE before launch and ended up with a foot in my mouth.

It's going to take some doing before I'm sending off the emails and Facebook posts saying "Seriously! Give it a (another) try!"

I don't even admit openly I play XIV cause I get laughed at by friends & Gamestop employees. :/

[Joeking]

I wonder if FFXIV has a facebook page on how much it sucks... if it did wonder how many likes it has... someone should start one maybe it would be a kick in the rear that SE needs.

[TonyMontana]

I agree to a point that they don't need to worry about losing us as customers, so they don't exactly need to cater to us, but shouldn't they want us promoting their game for them? Shouldn't they want their current players saying "You guys need to come back! You can't believe the last patch! You can't believe how different the game is! You can't believe how well the forums have turned out, how good communication is, how nice it is to have back and forth with the Reps/Devs!"


I promoted the shit out of this game for SE before launch and ended up with a foot in my mouth.

It's going to take some doing before I'm sending off the emails and Facebook posts saying "Seriously! Give it a (another) try!"

I don't even admit openly I play XIV cause I get laughed at by friends & Gamestop employees. :/

Dude didnt you know PC users do not associate with console gamers....EVER!

[Joeking]

Dude didnt you know PC users do not associate with console gamers....EVER!

OMG.. I'm both PC and Console... I'm a monster... don't look at me.. *growls*

<insert sad Disney solo song about that being different is OK>

[Shai]

Dude didnt you know PC users do not associate with console gamers....EVER!

LOL - I am a console gamer. I played FFXI, FFXIV and Borderlands on PC in the last 10 years.

(and Borderlands because I got it for $5 - as opposed to the $30 GOTY version consoles are putting out)

Though since I have the computer for it, I may get ES V: Skyrim for PC, too.
Probably should have gone with Dragon Age 2, but I started Origins on PS3.

Maybe I'm converting(?).

[Jynx]

If this game can't impress current players there will be no networking effect in promotions for the game (ex. no one will tell their friends to go buy it).
If this games reputation gets considerably worse (ex. been around for a year and still broken) no one will take it seriously when its fixed

SE may have to take a bullet with no current players willing to network the game for them, but SE still has alot of star power despite what people on this forum seem to think. A proper relaunch "treating PS3 as an expansion can fix alot of the problems above"

Its basic marketing that you always please the customer EVEN if they are a$$holes because an angry customer or a customer who dislikes your product can do a lot of damage.

"Give em the Pickle" I'm sure you might have picked this up at whatever industry you work in that has customer service. On a mass marketing scale thats not the same case. Giving in to customer demand can sometimes break your profits instead of creating them. You need to know what market your aiming for and please them. Us currently play are not the target market, many who are here on these forums playing or hating. We make a small percentage of even what XI a "Hardcore" MMO membership consists of. Pleasing us does nothing for them aside from some "Street cred" with the ultra hardcore gamers still willing to give the game a chance.

If a lot of people quit because of SE now, their friends will know about it, and then never want to get the game.

Answers above

When a game has a horrible reputation you can't overturn it overnight. Launching a huge advertising campaign when the game is fixed won't do anything when people go to game sites and see the game has a 4.0 rating.

PS3 Launch and some proper lubrication of the gaming media can more or less erase the failure that was the launch and even hype it up as a game "rising from the ashes" SE knows PR and Marketing better than you think. Final Fantasy games "in general" sell in the millions. They are a large force in the gaming industry, and I wouldn't put it past them to know how to turn the bad press into good press for the re-release.

The only way for this game to be successful now is by word of mouth and MAYBE via PS3 release in Japan.
And for that to occur, marketing and PR is needed -now-

Who are they going to market too? IF they expose more people to the game in it's current state it will do nothing but drive them away. They will beging marketing when the game is ramping up for PS3 release. The PS3 release is SE's trump card and chance to have a second round with the gaming media, releasing it now is pre-mature and will harm them in the long run. Marketing and PR will begin when it's in SE's Favor

Marketing isn't as black and white as you seem to think it is, SE knows when to start to ramp up the hype train and they will do it when it's in there best interests.