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

[DragonFlyy]

It does fascinate me that people for some reason believe there will be a significant difference in trend across platforms. The people playing the game on Steam are no different from those using the direct-from-SE client or on a PS5. If one medium documents a significant rise or fall in engagement, you can safely bet it will be the same across the others. Departures caused by platform-specific technical issues notwithstanding, of course.

Mostly I agree, but there are other factors. Didn't SE mess up the launcher through steam around that time for people playing through wine? Would mean those people would need to switch out of steam and buy the non-steam version. There are factors that we can compensate for.

[Jojoya]

It does fascinate me that people for some reason believe there will be a significant difference in trend across platforms. The people playing the game on Steam are no different from those using the direct-from-SE client or on a PS5. If one medium documents a significant rise or fall in engagement, you can safely bet it will be the same across the others. Departures caused by platform-specific technical issues notwithstanding, of course.

Really not a good idea to assume that the player demographics across each platform are the same since PCs are more than just a game device but I also don't think it matters either way.

MMORPGs always have a drop in engagement among veteran players as time passes during an expansion. At the very least, they want to be playing other games they already have or that are anticipated new releases. Sometimes the drop in engagement is offset by an influx of new players, sometimes not.

COVID threw a monkey wrench into the normal patterns seen as many ended up stuck at home with extra time on their hands. Even if they could work or attend school from home, former commute time was now available for other uses.

For FFXIV specifically, WoW's problems also changed the normal patterns. We got a massive influx of new players trying the game out because they just couldn't stand WoW anymore. The first wave hit at the start of 2019 a couple of months after Shadowlands was launched. The second wave followed Asmongold in summer 2021.

Now we've got a decent percentage of the player base switching back and forth between the two games since Dragonflight is working on address some of the WoW issues. It's hard to say what FFXIV's population would have been without the WoW mess getting new players (not necessarily just WoW players) interested in FFXIV.

Simply because it's really easy to manipulate data to prove a personal agenda, let me start pulling numbers off the Steam charts.

June 2017 - Stormblood launch - 12,446 Steam users.
Aug 2018 - month before patch 4.4 - 5627 Steam users.
Sept 2018 - patch 4.4 - 5,808 Steam users. (53% drop from launch)

July 2019. Shadowbringers launch - 23,105 Steam users
Nov 2020 - month before patch 5.4 - 12,661 Steam users
Dec 2020 - patch 5.4 - 14,751 Steam users (36% drop from launch but users COVID inflated?)

Dec 2021 - Endwalker launch - 53,729 Steam users
Apr 2023 - month before patch 6.4 - 20,535 Steam users. (61% drop from launch but not that much different from the Stormblood drop and not reflecting players that will return in a few weeks)
May 2023 - patch 6.4 - ??? Steam users (data won't be released until June)


Is the drop larger this time? Yes, but then we didn't have the huge number of players that were playing both WoW and FFXIV, and WoW has the more recent major content release at this point. It's hard to say where the game would be right now without the huge influx of new players.

But expansion to expansion comparisons are showing a continued increase in the number of Steam users, from 5,627 to 12,661 to 20,535 in the month before the X.4 release.

If the number of users was dropping significantly expansion to expansion, I'd get worried. Increasing numbers expansion to expansion don't represent a dying game.

[hunkygladiator]

61% is very different from 53% lmao. A 61% and 53% drop in players will result in 0.39 and 0.47. That is a 20% difference.

A 98% drop and a 99% drop are very different for the same reason.

[MonsutaMan]

XIV may go down as the most successful FF game of this era (Until the next MMO imo...but it depends on who is working on it...cough...cough). Doubt 16 surpasses 14. Despite all of this, 14 will not be remembered fondly lol.......

Superman 64 sold 10 million units, but it was by no means a great game. Well, it begs the question, why did many of us buy it........?

Because it was Superman.......Duh?

XI is remembered fondly. The venom you see on XI's forums, are mostly against the devs for not showing XI any love. XI's weak points are actually loved by many members of the community. XI was a no life grind fest, but many fans like the charm of it.

That is what you call a Masterpiece. The bad....had a bit of a charm to it.

Skyrim, players claim to see ghost people walking through walls.....It is just a bug (Part of the charm)

Sonic & Knuckles, running too fast=running into something and losing rings (Part of the charm).

Elden Ring bug let you one shot bosses? (Part of the charm, being a difficult game.....You won an easy pass)

[Ath192]

It does fascinate me that people for some reason believe there will be a significant difference in trend across platforms. The people playing the game on Steam are no different from those using the direct-from-SE client or on a PS5. If one medium documents a significant rise or fall in engagement, you can safely bet it will be the same across the others. Departures caused by platform-specific technical issues notwithstanding, of course.

I agree with you. The problem is that invalidating this data set is high on the target list for people with dissenting arguments because it is an inconvenience when it shows data that doesn't align with their views. It's almost like a political smear campaign. I think the trends there would be accurate enough to draw conclusions.

As far as I know steam appeals to both casual and hardcore players alike so there is no reason to believe there is any meaningful "gaming culture" sway on it either.

[Colt47]

How did this get back on top again? I think this thread was started ages ago and related mostly to steam unless I'm missing something.

[EliaStormblade]

How did this get back on top again? I think this thread was started ages ago and related mostly to steam unless I'm missing something.

Titanmen needed attention again.

[Kickwars]

I agree with you. The problem is that invalidating this data set is high on the target list for people with dissenting arguments because it is an inconvenience when it shows data that doesn't align with their views. It's almost like a political smear campaign. I think the trends there would be accurate enough to draw conclusions.

As far as I know steam appeals to both casual and hardcore players alike so there is no reason to believe there is any meaningful "gaming culture" sway on it either.

If anything Steam's huge rise in population across expansions should be adjusted downward (though obviously not zeroed) as SE has, thankfully, reduced a lot of the issues with Steam, and it is likely that newer players would want to deal with Steam than deal with FF14's bizarre account system (although they wouldn't know that at the end they still have to deal with it anyways).

[TheDecay]

Perhaps the playerbase has not decreased by 70%, but the number of players actually doing content instead of going to clubs certainly has dropped by 70%, if not more.

[Themarvin]

Perhaps the playerbase has not decreased by 70%, but the number of players actually doing content instead of going to clubs certainly has dropped by 70%, if not more.

No point in necroing this thread?

Also there is major boost for each expansion... oldies... people that only play for th expansion and more makes it go up high... it then deflates again... that makes the long term players do whatever they like to do... and adding in additional long term players.