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

[Clockworks]

While the player base is smaller, it's no where near 75%.



Steam does NOT and has never accounted for the majority of players.




Most players either use consoles or the official launcher.


"omg playerbase is down 75%" and producing statistics for the minority platform is just being ignorant.

Yall never learn that steam is big enough of a sample do you ?

[DPZ2]

Yall never learn that steam is big enough of a sample do you ?

It's just not a "random" sample, and it doesn't provide numbers for active subscriptions, only concurrent active players across a 24-hour period, then averaged over a month.

What is a better indicator of player numbers with subscriptions is the Operating Expense [ie Profit] lines of Square Enix's quarterly reports, assuming that DQ10 and FF11 are constants.

An example, they've changed their format from FY 2024, which did not break down operating income beyond Digital Entertainment as a whole:

MMO: Operating income up on launch of latest “FINAL FANTASY XIV” expansion pack
Net Sales: ¥44.0 billion
(Prior FY: ¥34.8 billion/ up ¥9.2 billion YoY)
Operating Income: ¥17.3 billion
(Prior FY: ¥14.4 billion/ up ¥2.9 billion YoY)


I imagine quite a bit of that 9 billion yen increase in net sales for FY2025 Q1-Q3 can be attributed to Dawntrail Expansion sales.

[Supersnow845]

It's just not a "random" sample, and it doesn't provide numbers for active subscriptions, only concurrent active players across a 24-hour period, then averaged over a month.

What is a better indicator of player numbers with subscriptions is the Operating Expense [ie Profit] lines of Square Enix's quarterly reports, assuming that DQ10 and FF11 are constants.

An example, they've changed their format from FY 2024, which did not break down operating income beyond Digital Entertainment as a whole:

MMO: Operating income up on launch of latest “FINAL FANTASY XIV” expansion pack
Net Sales: ¥44.0 billion
(Prior FY: ¥34.8 billion/ up ¥9.2 billion YoY)
Operating Income: ¥17.3 billion
(Prior FY: ¥14.4 billion/ up ¥2.9 billion YoY)


I imagine quite a bit of that 9 billion yen increase in net sales for FY2025 Q1-Q3 can be attributed to Dawntrail Expansion sales.

DT sold well initially nobody denies that

DT selling well is meaningless next to the fact that the playerbase cratered after we discovered DT is not good

Using operating income is one of the worst measures to discuss population

[Oizen]

Dawntrail sold well because Endwalker sold it
I'd bet money 8.0 does not sell as well as Dawntrail did.

[Striker44]

Wow, would you look at that, yet another person who has no idea how statistics and sample sizes work, and who also ignores the Lucky Bancho numbers. How many of you are there? Are y'all not tired yet of having this same point debunked for 15 pages?

Yes, it's more complicated than just "we've lost 75% of the player base," but if you think these numbers aren't representative of the player base and are completely fine...more than simply ignorance, that is delusion.

Sample size is largely irrelevant when the sample itself isn't statistically random (which it isn't, at all). What you need to look at are the average daily logins, and those show nothing abnormal compared to similar points in previous expansions. DT is now at the 8-month mark, and has "lost" about 40% of its average daily logins compared to its release month. At the same 8-month mark, EW had lost 49% and ShB had lost 39%. Not only have we lost nowhere near "75%" of the playerbase, but there is zero evidence we are actually seeing anything out of the ordinary. The real difference is that the specific subset of players DT has "lost" are the type that are most likely to inhabit places like Reddit or leave Steam reviews. Pare that away, look at the hard data, and you'll see it's nothing out of the ordinary.

[CuteBucket]

Sample size is largely irrelevant when the sample itself isn't statistically random (which it isn't, at all).

And once again, you have yet to provide any logical reason why Steam players are different enough as a cohort to render them statistically irrelevant.

[celi85]

hop on lost ark

[Dorito_Burrito]

hop on lost ark

Hop on Spider Solitaire.

[celi85]

let's face it the combat in ffxiv is lacking and replayability is at an all time low.
the only players who keep playing are modders who turn their characters into abominations and cheatmaxxers who auto mark sim and cactbot their way through all remotely difficult content. pvp is full of cheaters, everyone who crafts and gathers uses glorified bots that are freely available on the you-know-what plugin software. what does it tell you about the game if everyone who plays it has to modify the vanilla experience beyond recognition. vanilla gameplay is nearly unheard of, WoW has more integrity when it comes to third-party tools and that's an incredibly low bar.
dont get me started on the cash shop, the sheer size of it gives p2w korean mmos a run for their money and those games don't demand a $15 sub fee every month. it's insulting that 80% of the new headwear they add to the game isn't wearable by hrothgar or viera, they can afford to update the cash shop every few weeks but can't afford to make the hat that comes with the $20 costume compatible with those races let alone most of the gear that gets added each patch.

just trust the plan guys, 8.0 will totally definitely fix the game for sure. yoshi p went on stage at fanfest and said the content is too repetitive and makes him sleepy at times, he's a regular guy just like you (if you ignore his $3000 designer shirts and rolex watch that costs more than your car)
he encourages you to take breaks so feel free to take one, just don't take too long of a break or your house will get demolished lol

[Dorito_Burrito]

let's face it the combat in ffxiv is lacking and replayability is at an all time low.
the only players who keep playing are modders who turn their characters into abominations and cheatmaxxers who auto mark sim and cactbot their way through all remotely difficult content. pvp is full of cheaters, everyone who crafts and gathers uses glorified bots that are freely available on the you-know-what plugin software. what does it tell you about the game if everyone who plays it has to modify the vanilla experience beyond recognition. vanilla gameplay is nearly unheard of, WoW has more integrity when it comes to third-party tools and that's an incredibly low bar.
dont get me started on the cash shop, the sheer size of it gives p2w korean mmos a run for their money and those games don't demand a $15 sub fee every month. it's insulting that 80% of the new headwear they add to the game isn't wearable by hrothgar or viera, they can afford to update the cash shop every few weeks but can't afford to make the hat that comes with the $20 costume compatible with those races let alone most of the gear that gets added each patch.

just trust the plan guys, 8.0 will totally definitely fix the game for sure. yoshi p went on stage at fanfest and said the content is too repetitive and makes him sleepy at times, he's a regular guy just like you (if you ignore his $3000 designer shirts and rolex watch that costs more than your car)
he encourages you to take breaks so feel free to take one, just don't take too long of a break or your house will get demolished lol

Wow I think you hit every beat with this one.