This patch dropped the ball hard

[Ayanno]

Yes, and Revenue in FFXIV is GROWING every quarter. So why would the system change if profit is GROWING? Simple, It won't because SE is doing what the MAJORITY want. You have to remember that on the internet the people that talk about the game are like 1% of the total subscriber base. People who are having fun have no reason to write posts online unless they are fans of the game and feel the need to defend it.

You have proof of these numbers? Or did you yank them out of the aether?

Regardless: do you really expect people to continue doing the same exact thing forever? As I've said before: there's only so long people are going to put up with the same old song and dance.

[ZemusM]

You have proof of these numbers? Or did you yank them out of the aether?

Regardless: do you really expect people to continue doing the same exact thing forever? As I've said before: there's only so long people are going to put up with the same old song and dance.

No I don't thats why MMO's typically die out after a few years for something new. However the mechanics of said new games still use the same style of loot system that never changes and the cycle repeats itself, The big difference in the past 5 years is that developers have started to focus on story and ignore end game and those games have been failing in less than a year where Final Fantasy XIV has thrived because it keeps getting content updates every quarter.

As for numbers. SE's year over year financial earnings dont' show numbers but credits Final Fantasy 14's sales and rising subscriber numbers as a major focus for continued profit. We know as of a few months ago it was 4.5mil sold. Even if the attach rate is only 20% thats still nearly 1mil subs which is a massive success and growing in an age where entitled children think F2P is the only viable gaming method. If this game had any less, It would NOT have gotten a boxed expansion and would have gone F2P, We know its doing well because of that.

Again I don't think this game is perfect by any means, there are things that could be a LOT better, but they have a nice thing going here that is generating a LOT of monthly income for SE to funnel into rising dev costs of today, you don't mess with that when its working. I do believe that Heavensward is PROBABLY the peak of XIV though. We probably will start to see a decline soon as we start hearing about new games and engines and the hype train moves on. This genre has been quiet for awhile on the AAA front, people are curious about games like Everquest Next that has been very hidden from public eyes and been in dev for like 5 years now

[Ayanno]

No I don't thats why MMO's typically die out after a few years for something new. However the mechanics of said new games still use the same style of loot system that never changes and the cycle repeats itself,

Oh, how I'm going to be flamed for this, but: SE themselves created n MMO that had P2P for over a decade, with no cash shop shenanigans. Yes, I mean FFXI. I am not saying I want this game to turn into XI, not at all. However, there is no denying that SE did a lot of things right with the game, yet have chosen to ignore it. They could very well give us a similar variety of endgame content that actually lasts more then 3 months.

SE themselves bucked the trend your talking about....yet ignore it all.

[Delily]

Oh, how I'm going to be flamed for this, but: SE themselves created n MMO that had P2P for over a decade, with no cash shop shenanigans. Yes, I mean FFXI. I am not saying I want this game to turn into XI, not at all. However, there is no denying that SE did a lot of things right with the game, yet have chosen to ignore it. They could very well give us a similar variety of endgame content that actually lasts more then 3 months.

SE themselves bucked the trend your talking about....yet ignore it all.

Compare FFXI's performance to WoW's performance. Which had better growth and retention rates?

[Ayanno]

Compare FFXI's performance to WoW's performance. Which had better growth and retention rates?

And? They are/were both profitable MMO's with a different take on the genre. Also, retention rates? They both lasted for over a decade, I'd say both games had vey good retention rates.

[Delily]

And? They are/were both profitable MMO's with a different take on the genre. Also, retention rates? They both lasted for over a decade, I'd say both games had vey good retention rates.

Ok, I'll agree with retention rate. Imagine you're an investor in Square. Which game would you rather have them focus on?

[Ayanno]

Ok, I'll agree with retention rate. Imagine you're an investor in Square. Which game would you rather have them focus on?

I'd rather them focus on their own game/history then giving two shits what the other guys are doing. If that means bringing something from XI(which they've been doing all along),tweaking it for this game, then so be it. If it means coming up with something entirely new, then so be it.

[Delily]

You have proof of these numbers? Or did you yank them out of the aether?

Regardless: do you really expect people to continue doing the same exact thing forever? As I've said before: there's only so long people are going to put up with the same old song and dance.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/squ.../1100-6427263/

Square's Digital Entertainment division was up 18.4%. That's not all driven by FFXIV, but considering they just released an expansion and charged for it, I'd say the game is doing well.