Quote Originally Posted by Kacho_Nacho View Post
Good points! I absolutely agree if FFXIV wants to keep bringing in new players its graphics have to be comparable to the current games on the market. With the advent of so many new games using the Unreal 5 engine, FFXIV is in serious danger of looking like it was made in the Nintendo Age of gaming.
I think calling it Nintendo Age is a bit hyperbolic, but I do generally share the sentiment.

As it stands, FFXIV still looks quite good, especially when compared to other MMOs. As long as it remains highly stylized (which it is), still churns out regular content (which it does), and graphically looks *at least as good* as its main competitors (better than WoW, GW2, ESO), then it will have a niche for some time longer. I would not be concerned about its success unless/until one of two things happens:

1. A main competitor with substantially better graphics/mechanics/lore gains traction. This could be as simple as WoW or GW2 releasing a totally new and polished version of their existing systems, or it could involve a more established game like New World slowly building up and refining itself into a more reliable experience. Both of these possibilities are several years off unless, I don't know, some media juggernaut like Disney drops a heavily researched and developed fantasy MMO based on even larger properties than Final Fantasy; again, highly unlikely. I don't think any MMO releases in a successful state these days and practically has to plan for the long game.

2. Final Fantasy nostalgia and goodwill wears out. This was going to be the reality for FFXIV when XIII and XV were riddled with development/release issues and underperformed. FFXIV leaned hard into referentialism to keep the company afloat, and is now the ultimate Final Fantasy theme park; but in doing so, it threw its lot in with the goodwill of the entire franchise--i.e. more players engage in XIV for the nostalgia of the franchise than for XIV's own unique identity. But I would make a very safe bet that when FFXIV stops being a central hub for "old school" FF fandom, particularly FFI-VII-ish (but with some heavy hitters in VIII-X), that will be its death knell. Because that specific brand of nostalgia appeals to a very large population in a very specific manner that no other game on the market does. And yeah they will likely tap out FF IX and X references in Dawntrail and incorporate some XIII and XV elements in 8.0, but any references after FF X are not going to carry the same traction with consumers as the "core" of the franchise.

But I do not think graphics are going to factor much into either avenue. FFXIV's selling point is franchise, and to a lesser but still significant extent, consistency. I do not see consistency dropping anytime soon while SE lacks any other major sources of revenue and their attempts at releasing new tentpoles falter. So I foresee XIV undergoing a slow death as the franchise wanes and settles completely into an "old school Runescape" market.