I do still think this game is better than most MMOs, in that the content it delivers is generally quite engaging and the developers keep the community updated regularly on what's actually happening. The head developer actually playing the game is also a plus, and it's what drew me into the game in the first place.

However, I will say that success seems to have had a negative impact on the overall direction of things. Having watched several MMOs decline and fail in the past, I know the signs when I see them. Die-hard fans who excuse valid criticism is a must, and lord knows this community's got that in droves. But there are other things, like less features over time, cash shop creep, slower updates, out of touch developers, dumbing down gameplay for mass appeal (because that generates more profit) and just a general sense that the priorities have shifted to monetization over enjoyable content. I don't think we're quite there yet, but the pieces are kinda lining up in a way that's worrying me. We're going to see a slower content cycle from here on out, devs keep making bizarre job changes that demonstrate their lack of understanding, events were lackluster compared to previous iterations, items that could have been rewarded from in game content are being thrown in the cash shop instead, jobs are being dumbed down like crazy, and if you dare to mention any of this, fans get personally offended. The pieces are all kinda lining up, and yeah, it's worrisome.

So yeah, I agree with you OP. I don't know who Ion is so I can't really agree with that part, but I do see things arranging themselves in the same way that other MMOs did before they fell apart. XIV is still more fun to me than other MMOs, but that's not even a high bar to set since other MMOs are either dead or a complete cash cow at this point. If anything, it's more appropriate to say that XIV is winning by default. Well, at least the alliance raid was brilliant.