Quote Originally Posted by Jojoya View Post
Have to admit this discussion didn't go the way I anticipated. I was expecting there would be more talk about the ramifications of removing the MMO tag from the game and how that might impact game design and the player base.
Where did you see anything about "removing the MMO tag" from the game? I think the discussion has gone differently than you anticipated because you were looking for talk about something that just isn't happening. I watched the video and Yoshi-P straight up said the game is an MMO. It's not becoming a "single player game." The talk in there was about adding more options for people who prefer playing solo to access MSQ dungeons and trials by expanding the Trust system; there's no talk whatsoever about the game becoming single-player (he even explicitly says that none of the grouping options for doing content with other people would be changing). So most of your questions about what happens to the open world, housing, etc. are simply irrelevant because nothing about the core of the game being an MMO is changing.

Considering the way many of their current customers keep slapping the devs in the face (when they're not sending death threats) over changes to the game, perhaps that's part of the reason they want to go back to a single player game. I suspect they didn't experience the same degree of outright hostility as they have over the MMO.

I wouldn't blame them for preferring to make games that appeal to their old customers who didn't harass them instead of making games for their current customers that do. Look at all the calls for the developers to be fired in this thread alone.
This is an excellent point. I get the sense that it's a maturity issue, with people not yet mature enough to realize that going on endless, bitter rants doesn't do anything to have your voice heard.