FF14 player count reached the lowest point in 4 years. We lost 75% of the playerbase.

[Gurgeh]

Can someone, with figures and references to original data, please explain the *75%* in the title of this thread?

I'm looking at the OP, and I'm not seeing that.
I consider the 'population' to be the 'average' population excluding patch peaks. The average seems from those figures, pretty unchanged.
I'm starting to think the biggest problem is that we have 'way' more servers and DCs, and the population has shrunk as much as it's grown, ie it hasn't grown. Leading to hollowed thin spread communities.

[ovIm]

That's one way to see it. Another goes like this: Less people = less funding = company realizes that their flag ship is sinking = more money is invested to get the ship back on course = game improves

The only thing they listen to apparently is money. So the more people unsub, the better. If a restaurant has bad food the customers should stay away until the menu and atmosphere improves.

Thats where I am more pessimist. Knowing how Square Enix has handled bad games in the past, my fear is that the more people unsub, the less effort Square Enix will put into FF14, until it goes into maintenance mode. Sure, that is a very gloomy outlook, one where I would definitely love to be proven wrong.

[Araxes]

Its not surprising. My wife and i WANT to play but we just have nothing to do. The only reason i stay subbed is nostalgia and my House.

[CNitsah]

Thats where I am more pessimist. Knowing how Square Enix has handled bad games in the past, my fear is that the more people unsub, the less effort Square Enix will put into FF14, until it goes into maintenance mode. Sure, that is a very gloomy outlook, one where I would definitely love to be proven wrong.

Yeah, I would not be surprised if they had some other mmo in the making, because 14 years is already a long time, and they know it's gonna be more difficult to get new players on XIV. SE wants a MMO, MMOs have been carrying the company for nearly 20 years, and I would not be surprised they're thinking about a new one.

That said, FFXIV is not FFXI, FFXIV achieved to reach out of the mmo players niche, thus I feel like if XIV is not in a good state when (and if) they release a new mmo, people won't bother checking it because how critical they have been about XIV.

Basically, if they don't have a new mmo, XIV has to perform well, if they have a new one, XIV also has to perform well, because it's gonna be hard to market a mmo "from the company that killed its previous MMO at its peak with bad decisions" or "from the company that let it previous mmo rot".

[Dante131]

Yeah, I would not be surprised if they had some other mmo in the making, because 14 years is already a long time, and they know it's gonna be more difficult to get new players on XIV. SE wants a MMO, MMOs have been carrying the company for nearly 20 years, and I would not be surprised they're thinking about a new one.

That said, FFXIV is not FFXI, FFXIV achieved to reach out of the mmo players niche, thus I feel like if XIV is not in a good state when (and if) they release a new mmo, people won't bother checking it because how critical they have been about XIV.

Basically, if they don't have a new mmo, XIV has to perform well, if they have a new one, XIV also has to perform well, because it's gonna be hard to market a mmo "from the company that killed its previous MMO at its peak with bad decisions" or "from the company that let it previous mmo rot".

question is how many would buy another MMO from SE. Thing is if people are already unhappy with 14 and maybe dont trust the company anymore less people will buy it and others will drop out completly because nobody wanna lose his stuff esp houses and builds

[Saraide]

It feels like there's just a lack of vision and confidence. The viper changes literally no one asked for not even a week after launch were quite emblematic for it.

[Connor]

Anyone remember like 2-3 weeks ago or whenever, when the forums were full of people claiming players had more than enough to do and they were just being lazy/incompetent/not doing enough ultimates?
‘Why are people complaining about content when chaotic just released just make a PF’

Now suddenly the game is dead as a doornail completely exhausted of all content, creativity and enjoyment? What happened to ‘just do savage/ultimates?’

It’s no wonder the devs can’t keep up lol.

[OliverQ]

Can someone, with figures and references to original data, please explain the *75%* in the title of this thread?

I'm looking at the OP, and I'm not seeing that.
I consider the 'population' to be the 'average' population excluding patch peaks. The average seems from those figures, pretty unchanged.
I'm starting to think the biggest problem is that we have 'way' more servers and DCs, and the population has shrunk as much as it's grown, ie it hasn't grown. Leading to hollowed thin spread communities.

Seems to be based on the last chart the OP posted. May of last year was 91,000 players. This month is down to 22,000. But are those only Steam accounts? Doesn't say.

[Wasselin]

I still assert that player numbers really does not matter to how fun the game is but we still have more players than in ARR and Heavensward. Was the game on the verge of death back then? Not from my perspective it wasn't. I was having just as much fun back then as now.

Thats where I am more pessimist. Knowing how Square Enix has handled bad games in the past, my fear is that the more people unsub, the less effort Square Enix will put into FF14, until it goes into maintenance mode. Sure, that is a very gloomy outlook, one where I would definitely love to be proven wrong.

People contend that this is already happening, despite the boost in player numbers.

[Kaurhz]

Anyone remember like 2-3 weeks ago or whenever, when the forums were full of people claiming players had more than enough to do and they were just being lazy/incompetent/not doing enough ultimates?
‘Why are people complaining about content when chaotic just released just make a PF’

Now suddenly the game is dead as a doornail completely exhausted of all content, creativity and enjoyment? What happened to ‘just do savage/ultimates?’

It’s no wonder the devs can’t keep up lol.

1. This is because it isn't the same people making both points, but different people making different points.

2. I don't think most were saying there is enough to do. The lazy/incompetent remarks were largely made in relation to the complaints around reward structure of Chaotic (Most of them didn't bother reading the actual complaints)

3. Just do xyz is a disappointing response to the complaints levied. How would people like it if I turned around and said "Go get your Centurio Tiger, Pteranodon, go do your several thousand Frontline matches and CC", then come back and complain about lack of content.

4. Devs can't keep up because they only develop long form content once or twice every 5 years. Near enough everything is short-form,