The Great FFXIV Exodus of 2024

[CVXIV]

I'll quote you but the follow up questions are directed to everyone. I presented 25 players announcing their departure within a short amount of time as a sign that something unusual is taking place, because to my knowledge that has never happened until now. In the past it's been one guy making a thread and getting bye felicia'd by everyone. This is different. Has anyone seen something like this before? What would an exodus look like and how would one investigate it? Is there a form of evidence that could convince you it's happening while it's happening?

Speaking personally I can't say I have, but then again I've never been as involved with the community through its forums as I have now. My join date here is shown as 2024, but that's only because I made an account here to discuss the graphics update as we were being shown upcoming material for it. I've actually been playing since 2014/2015

Which leads me to wonder how many people that play the game simultaneously use the forums. I've seen people say it's only a small number that do, but I wouldn't have a way to verify that

and the reason why I feel as though it's too soon to really call it an exodus is because of how large the game is. With what was shown, it's roughly 25 or so people in the english speaking forums that are announcing their departure. It could be larger than that, or maybe people will change their mind / still play despite what they've said

It's really hard to say and we don't have access to the information that SE would

I don't say any of this to diminish or to put down how they feel about the game. If people are truly unhappy and feel as though their voice isn't being heard then I think the only logical course of action would be to stop giving the company money

Honestly I view the forums as the same sort of trap housing falls under, because you need an active service account to post here yet this is the place you are redirected to regarding feedback about the game

[Atreides]

Can only speak for myself and my environment. I haven't even concidered quitting and none of my friends are talking about it either so for all I care game is healthy as ever.
As you can see on my register date, I've been around for a while lol.

[lucatracy]

If you look at the forums, everyone is leaving but my experience ingame has been the opposite.

I've had a couple of friends returning to the game, the usual friends are still there and my FC is actually more active than before.

Because the forums nowadays are pretty much exclusively criticism or complaints, yet we're somehow supposed to treat it as gospel when it comes to how the community as a whole (millions, mind you) is feeling about the game.

[Andevom]

Not much of a "great exodus".

Unless we have actual statistics showing a massive drop in subscriptions, I don't think anyone here really has a good sense of how the game is doing outside of pure speculation/feelings.

Ask yourself the following:

1) Are queues taking noticeably longer to fill for content?
2) Are areas much less populated than usual?
3) Are there barely any groups recruiting in the Party Finder?

[CidHeiral]

This forum is a heavily biased sample since this is where people come to complain. Twenty people is a drop in the bucket compared to the game's population, or presumably even the amount of people that come and go each month through normal attrition. That's assuming they even follow through on what they've said.

That being said, if someone feels the game isn't worth their money anymore then they should definitely cease paying for it. SE tracks sub numbers. If it really is an "exodus" they'll know about it and act accordingly, but I've seen no solid evidence to suggest that's actually happening.

[BigCheez]

Not much of a "great exodus".

Unless we have actual statistics showing a massive drop in subscriptions, I don't think anyone here really has a good sense of how the game is doing outside of pure speculation/feelings.

Ask yourself the following:

1) Are queues taking noticeably longer to fill for content?
2) Are areas much less populated than usual?
3) Are there barely any groups recruiting in the Party Finder?

https://steamcharts.com/app/39210#All

Steam obviously isn't the entire playerbase but it's more than a large enough sample size to gauge player behaviour. It doesn't look good.

We had a patch 1 week ago and we're at 27k daily peak. Player numbers haven't been lower than they are right now since 2020.

[DisgracedDairy]

The unaddressed gameplay issues, (notably, the blandification of all roles,) unfinished races, and incredibly disappointing story are why I have resigned myself at this point. 3+ years of scraps and patches hoping that *maybe* somebody fixes something are unacceptable to me. When the rest of my family finishes Dawntrail, I won't be coming back.

[Raraka]

This forum is a heavily biased sample since this is where people come to complain.

The forum is a heavy biased sample

The reddit is a heavy biased sample

Twitter is a heavy biased sample

People who use mods are a heavy biased sample

Actual devs are a heavy biased sample

Whats next, are Female Roegadyn a heavy biased sample?

To turn it around, YES, the forum is a heavy biased sample, a heavy biased sample of people who care about the game, people who voice their discomfort because they want to see the game improve, because they love the game to the point of almost hate.

You cant keep dismissing the forums as a negative bunch everytime its the most convenient for you, get a grip.

[angienessyo]

Here on Aether it doesn't feel like less people are playing, my friends still can't visit me here because the datacenter is too crowded. I truly wish more people that say they want to quit or say they are quitting would actually quit. Not out of any sort of pettiness or anger, it's just that I believe if you aren't having fun you shouldn't be paying for the game. Being unhappy with the game while giving Square money every month doesn't send the greatest message.

[IOwn92FCHouses]

The forum is a heavy biased sample

The reddit is a heavy biased sample

Twitter is a heavy biased sample

People who use mods are a heavy biased sample

Actual devs are a heavy biased sample

Whats next, are Female Roegadyn a heavy biased sample?

To turn it around, YES, the forum is a heavy biased sample, a heavy biased sample of people who care about the game, people who voice their discomfort because they want to see the game improve, because they love the game to the point of almost hate.

You cant keep dismissing the forums as a negative bunch everytime its the most convenient for you, get a grip.

Ah, a classic. "MY bias is valid, how dare you call out!"

You can absolutely dismiss the forums as negative for the exact same reason you gave. You're people voicing discomfort. People who are comfortable aren't going to be going around and saying, "Oh, I'm having such a good time! Community at large, let's go over that good time over and over and over again!"

Or does it sting enough to just casually forget that happy players are less likely to engage in forums over, say, being unhappy with the game? That they'll be busy playing the game, thus having less time to voice how much fun they're having?

The OF has an extreme negative bias. You should accept that instead of trying to dress that fact in a pretty bow and with a message of "improvement." Because that boring, tired approach is why the game is in the state it's in in the first place.