We lost 70% of our player base half a year in

[EgilTheStressedMage]

Oh no the game is dying its all over 14 has peaked!

...

oh wait shit sorry graph was focusing on 2019 hold on a sec.



There we go.

Anyway the game is certainly dying.

All is lost.

[Kes13a]

main takeaway seems to be that.. we are around teh same level we were at before the exodus from WoW. I dont see that as "dying"

we didnt have over 10 million players and lost most of them due to a bad direction like some other game... I dont see the lights being turned off any times soon.

[Amenara]

Wow when did I get transported to the Lost Ark forums. Population post expansion is going to drop by a lot, plus steam numbers make up a small minority of the playerbase. Wait till Lucky Bancho's next survey for more realistic numbers to base your doom and gloom about subscriber numbers on.

[Ket-Xil]

Unless you think Steam players and official launcher players have extremely different playstyles and personalities the trend should be similar.

Correct that is exactly what we are saying. Steam numbers is pittance compared to official launcher. Do even a modicum of research please.

[hynaku]

I would say will have lost most the player base remember those hour long queues to just login to play. Less players with subs means less funds for new content which isn't good with how little we get right now.

[EaraGrace]

I would say will have lost most the player base remember those hour long queues to just login to play. Less players with subs means less funds for new content which isn't good with how little we get right now.

Based solely on the Steam charts that have been rightfully pointed out as not being 100% indicative of player numbers, we have more players for the launch of 6.1 than for the launch of Shadowbringers. I think it’s good to look out for the games future, but unless players quit en masse I think things are ok.

[Shurrikhan]

Funny, when did Endwalker release..hmmm December 2021..I'm sure that's purely coincidental, right?

Nice try OP at fanning the flames of hysteria.

Is it "hysterics" to think that maybe an MMO shouldn't be content to have only a base of a third their expansion release numbers or two-thirds their patch numbers? That there should be a bit more to do in the mainstream content flow than just the new MSQ and initial raid clears?

A note: These are Steam Numbers and are over-exacerbated by this rhetoric.

The Steam numbers are not "exaggerated" by these claims. These are the literal Steam numbers. If those connecting to the game through Steam somehow had unified and distinct preferences from those logging in any other way, focusing on that sample might exaggerate what implications they have for the larger population.

We have no reason to believe, though, that Steam players are any more casual or hardcore or unappeasable than those who use another launcher.

Because ever since the part where you can't even transfer FROM Steam, people have not wanted to buy it on Steam for the longest time; hence low numbers for Steam.

These aren't sales numbers. You're looking at play rates from those who already bought and are locked into XIV on Steam.

Also to note, it's not a major patch. There are lulls in content that make the player count drop.

That's the issue, though, isn't it? Is XIV better for spiking and diving so heavily with patch cycles? Or would it be better if there was, say, mainstay content still to do without relying on omni-leveling or completionist achievement collection? Not further grinds like our tomestones, but, say, dungeons offering more than a single run's worth (if even that) of novelty each, or side-content like Eureka being less dependent on extrinsic rewards for any use.

[AziraSyuren]

x.1 patches have historically been so dull that I wouldn't be surprised if we actually did lose 70% of the playerbase from its peak, Steam numbers or no. We're pretty much at the low point of any expansion aside from maybe the middle of an x.5 patch.

[Shurrikhan]

Unless you think Steam players and official launcher players have extremely different playstyles and personalities the trend should be similar.

Correct that is exactly what we are saying. Steam numbers is pittance compared to official launcher. Do even a modicum of research please.

Why? What is it about logging in via a different launcher that suddenly makes this sample of the playerbase unique from the rest? Why would logging in via Steam somehow make them less appeasable?

[Jin-]

Funny how people think the trend is different on the other platforms and just the Steam experienced the loss of numbers