Formal Letter to SE about RMT situation.

[Starcade]

I'm going to say it openly: I think Square-Enix is getting money from these illegal outfits.

Since the STF is overwhelmed, it's a clear merchandise-counterfeiting situation otherwise, and the only real alternatives are either that Copyright/Legal has to get in on it as a merchandise-counterfeiting operation or that Square-Enix somehow sanctions and allows for it.

[Morbid]

I'm going to say it openly: I think Square-Enix is getting money from these illegal outfits.

Since the STF is overwhelmed, it's a clear merchandise-counterfeiting situation otherwise, and the only real alternatives are either that Copyright/Legal has to get in on it as a merchandise-counterfeiting operation or that Square-Enix somehow sanctions and allows for it.

No need for all that SE theoretically would be happy with the $15 a month and the bump to subscription numbers...

[tocsin]

No need for all that SE theoretically would be happy with the $15 a month and the bump to subscription numbers...

Theoretically, maybe. However, SE is a business, and only obtaining $15 a month from all the subscribers only nets the company a little over ten million a year, which isn't a sustainable amount of money, for a company with as much going on as SE does.

They make more money, because they can get away with making more money. and the bigger the cash cow that FFXIV is to them, the more support it will get.

The question it all comes down to is: is the money they would make from the added subscribers that stay due to lack of RMT, worth more profit than the money that RMT brings them (illegal money).

Personally, I think SE has a different answer to this question than we do.

[Starcade]

No need for all that SE theoretically would be happy with the $15 a month and the bump to subscription numbers...

Not with the number of RMT outfits that are running around and the apparent levels of business they seem to be doing, if all the RMT spam is any freaking indication.

It makes me wonder if we're back to the point where XI had 2 million players -- half of whom (at least!) were RMT-farmers.