As an FFXI player, thank you for Limited Jobs and BLU SE

[Elerus]

And yeah, it was niche, just like any MMO was considered "niche" during that time.

WoW would release just a little over a year and a half later. In NA they would release in the same year, 2004. WoW went on to be anything but niche with references and mentions from Jeopardy to South Park. The market was there, FFXI did not fulfill it.