Right back to FFXI

[Leeloo]

I took the thread title "Right back to XI" & post to mean the game's reverting back to some of the negatives that were in XI, not that the OP's quitting and going back to XI.

[Sovereign]

in September, people said that the game was going to die soon. In November, same thing. Turn of the year, same thing. April, same freaking thing. Now? Same thing. It hasn't happened yet and I don't think it will happen anytime soon. Today's patch brought back a TON of people and I actually had 3 friends re-join the game since all they needed was Auto attack and a decent amount of content. They got what they wanted. The others are waiting on more FF-ish content (Chocobos, airships and jobs) I don't see the game losing players at all compared to how many it is gaining.

Right now, the game regaining players doesn't generate any revenue whatsoever. Square Enix is still a for-profit corporation, and while they may be willing to just eat the loss for a while, eventually the product has to make money. The longer it takes, the more money is required to make up all the sunk costs. In one year I just don't think there have been enough major changes to warrant enough people paying for the product to sustain it, and it will inevitably die out if it can't make up it's losses and start to generate some cash. Yeah people have been saying that the product is dying for a while, but that doesn't change the simple facts of the matter. Products that don't generate revenue or provide competitive advantage have no business in a business.

[Eekiki]

Doesn't mean it won't happen. I mean just consider the facts. This game is bleeding money. In less than a year the cost of the game has gone from $50 down to $15,

You have to spend money to make money. The game isn't "bleeding money". SE has invested money in it in the hopes it will eventually turn a profit. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

it doesn't have a monthly fee, and people are still bailing.

Which is why there were login queues on several servers tonight. All those people bailing out were clogging the tubes, I suppose.

The market is highly competitive, with a number of big players with launches lined up in the near future. Finally, most players are only going to pay for 1 game, so you really need a product that is (to a large number of players) better than the other guys'. I just don't really see how it can last for very long.

Because it's Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy fans would rather play a good Final Fantasy game than a great Star Wars game. I believe there are enough of them that SE can turn it around. The groundwork this patch has laid has made me cautiously optimistic.

[Ventus]

god :| these ppl who just say kthxbia u wont be missed are just why this game is shitty
no matter how good the game is when the ppl are this shitty u just dont wanna play

amen to dat brodda *ff10 wakka voice*

[Dubont]

Right now, the game regaining players doesn't generate any revenue whatsoever. Square Enix is still a for-profit corporation, and while they may be willing to just eat the loss for a while, eventually the product has to make money. The longer it takes, the more money is required to make up all the sunk costs. In one year I just don't think there have been enough major changes to warrant enough people paying for the product to sustain it, and it will inevitably die out if it can't make up it's losses and start to generate some cash. Yeah people have been saying that the product is dying for a while, but that doesn't change the simple facts of the matter. Products that don't generate revenue or provide competitive advantage have no business in a business.

I don't think you're understanding. Ok, this may be hard for you so bare with me. This patch brought back a ton of players. 1.19 will bring back A LOT more and 1.20 will bring in even more. Now, what does this mean? This means that FFXIV...is getting an actual player base. SE, according to our speculation, is planning on starting the sub fee after 1.20 or 1.21. Now, if all of the players that came back from the 1.18, 1.19, and 1.20 stay, which the majority will, then FFXIV will have a subscription base. This will mean money for SE and it will probably take a year or two for the company to recover their losses, but things can only look up at that point. The reason FFXIV hasn't failed yet is because SE made this game themselves. Unlike games like..LOTRO, the game wasn't given shared between different companies. This is all SE's game and they depict when the game is finished. Currently, they aren't ready to throw in the towel just yet and after seeing the player results from today's patch, I doubt they will be ready to give up any time soon.

[Cursive]

I had hoped this update would be awesome, but it isn't shaping up to be anything like that. I'm disappointed that group-only content was added and the community quickly expresses their latent exclusiveness held over from FFXI. Nobody does anything outside their LS, or invites anybody outside their LS, and nobody has any openly recruiting linkshells, so anybody in a small LS or completely without one is screwed out of content and the ability to continue through the Grand Companies line of quests.

Worst of all, is that I can't even seek. I have to repeatedly shout, which I'm sure annoys everybody.

I can't imagine how this game will ever pull off a grand re-opening with this cold-shoulder culture.

sorry you don't get everything handed to you...try forming a group and talking to people.

it is a moot point anyway as no one can even get in to play.

[Seoki]

Ul'Dah is filled, there are people running across the map. In all directions doing different things. Talking, and exploring. This game isn't dying. This is the new breath the game has been given. And it's working.

[Sovereign]

You have to spend money to make money. The game isn't "bleeding money". SE has invested money in it in the hopes it will eventually turn a profit. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

Every day that this game remains online without a revenue model to at least meet it's costs results in a loss for Square Enix. That's what I mean by 'bleeding money.' Every day the invested or sunk costs increase.

Which is why there were login queues on several servers tonight. All those people bailing out were clogging the tubes, I suppose.

I'm stating that over the past year, by some sources, the average number of active players has declined. One day with the first real major patch and login queues doesn't really change the trend, much the same way that one really cold day in the summer doesn't disprove global warming.

Because it's Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy fans would rather play a good Final Fantasy game than a great Star Wars game. I believe there are enough of them that SE can turn it around. The groundwork this patch has laid has made me cautiously optimistic.

You might be right here, but will it be enough to become profitable is the real question. We also have some evidence to suggest that the brand may not demand the same loyalty that it used to, especially when pitted against Blizzard's fan loyalty and the devotion some people have to Star Wars.

[DarthTaru]

I had hoped this update would be awesome, but it isn't shaping up to be anything like that. I'm disappointed that group-only content was added and the community quickly expresses their latent exclusiveness held over from FFXI. Nobody does anything outside their LS, or invites anybody outside their LS, and nobody has any openly recruiting linkshells, so anybody in a small LS or completely without one is screwed out of content and the ability to continue through the Grand Companies line of quests.

Worst of all, is that I can't even seek. I have to repeatedly shout, which I'm sure annoys everybody.

I can't imagine how this game will ever pull off a grand re-opening with this cold-shoulder culture.

lol.

Cool story, bro! Tell me everything you know!

Glad to see more "boo-hoo I wanna' kill really easy mobs by myself" people are leaving.
Great update, SE. Keep them coming!

[Sovereign]

I don't think you're understanding. Ok, this may be hard for you so bare with me. This patch brought back a ton of players. 1.19 will bring back A LOT more and 1.20 will bring in even more. Now, what does this mean? This means that FFXIV...is getting an actual player base. SE, according to our speculation, is planning on starting the sub fee after 1.20 or 1.21. Now, if all of the players that came back from the 1.18, 1.19, and 1.20 stay, which the majority will, then FFXIV will have a subscription base. This will mean money for SE and it will probably take a year or two for the company to recover their losses, but things can only look up at that point. The reason FFXIV hasn't failed yet is because SE made this game themselves. Unlike games like..LOTRO, the game wasn't given shared between different companies. This is all SE's game and they depict when the game is finished. Currently, they aren't ready to throw in the towel just yet and after seeing the player results from today's patch, I doubt they will be ready to give up any time soon.

If you want to insult me directly then I have no interest is continuing our discussion. Have a nice evening.