FFXIV population decline continues

[Rithy255]

It's the other way around. Doomsayers were pointing at steam numbers to illustrate their point. Now that their sources prove contrary to their point, they have nothing going for them.

Most sensible people said steam numbers were a faulty metric. That hasn't changed. What has changed is that the projection they were making based on that metric has been disproven by their own resource.



Not the people who were saying the game was crashing two months ago, apparently

You do realise the fact that play rates are now slightly higher is due to patch, you will always get more players when a patch is new this is generally regardless of how well the game is doing, I also don't think most if any of these so called "doomsayers" were saying the patch wont increase player numbers for a short time. This follows the trend of literally every game even ones that are losing players when theirs new stuff there will be a short spike. If you compare 6.2 to 7.2 (a pretty fair comparison), you can see actual decline in play rates very clearly, it will be over time we will see spikes of players when new patches come out, but the nature of decline for a game like ff14 doesn't happen over night.

[Exmo]

You do realise the fact that play rates are now slightly higher is due to patch

Yes, obviously. When patches come out, players resub. When there's a lull in between content, player count drops. This is normal expected behavior despite what the "FFXIV is dying" crowd is saying.

[Rithy255]

Yes, obviously. When patches come out, players resub. When there's a lull in between content, player count drops. This is normal expected behavior despite what the "FFXIV is dying" crowd is saying.

I wouldn't go far to say ff14 is a dead game (I think this sort of statement is disingenuous, it ignores the bigger picture)

But theirs been obvious decline in playrate compared to endwalker, both in peak and when a lull happens that the player numbers are lower in comparison which does show player interest over time slowly decling, this does show that the expansion and choices made as of recent have been unpopular, I do think if it carries on play rates will go down further.

[Rinoa_353]

I wouldn't go far to say ff14 is a dead game (I think this sort of statement is disingenuous, it ignores the bigger picture)

But theirs been obvious decline in playrate compared to endwalker, both in peak and when a lull happens that the player numbers are lower in comparison which does show player interest over time slowly decling, this does show that the expansion and choices made as of recent have been unpopular, I do think if it carries on play rates will go down further.

I really like the direction 7.2 MSQ is taking, if they can continue with that level of quality and release more content to do for all play styles, players will return.

[Rithy255]

I really like the direction 7.2 MSQ is taking, if they can continue with that level of quality and release more content to do for all play styles, players will return.

I skipped the msq this time around I'm completely not wanting to deal with DT story, though I have heard good things from it I'm just very checked out with the current msq that even now it's a bit of a hard sell.. maybe ill give it a try but I have been so done with DT's story.

For me they will have to up the quality of content, I'm most looking forward to 7.25 and i think ill be more invested for a while but I don't know if it will retain my interest for more then a month, they will have to really pull off something worth while.

My main concerns with replay value is that if theirs no job variety like as of current I feel theirs no real reason to repeat content itself, as I think jobs should offer me a unique gameplay experience to each content, but currently I do not feel that at all, I feel like all content is just designed around dance fights, which can be fun but don't offer me any reason to replay it once it's done.

[Rinoa_353]

I skipped the msq this time around I'm completely not wanting to deal with DT story, though I have heard good things from it I'm just very checked out with the current msq that even now it's a bit of a hard sell.. maybe ill give it a try but I have been so done with DT's story.

For me they will have to up the quality of content, I'm most looking forward to 7.25 and i think ill be more invested for a while but I don't know if it will retain my interest for more then a month, they will have to really pull off something worth while.

My main concerns with replay value is that if theirs no job variety like as of current I feel theirs no real reason to repeat content itself, as I think jobs should offer me a unique gameplay experience to each content, but currently I do not feel that at all, I feel like all content is just designed around dance fights, which can be fun but don't offer me any reason to replay it once it's done.

I understand and I agree that 7.0 and 7.1 were very lacking compared to the quality we have been used to for years. But I still would recommend you play the 7.2 msq as the story focuses on us, the WoL once more and that's one of my biggest gripes about 7.0 in general where I felt the WoL was a background character. There is also great character development that felt good too and I also enjoyed both the new dungeon (gave me FFXIII Fifth Ark vibes) and the trial.


Yeah, I hope they keep releasing diverse content for all different playstyles and I also have high hopes for the rest of the 7.2x patches as well in terms of content and hope it keeps improving going into 8.0.

[kajv95]

I understand and I agree that 7.0 and 7.1 were very lacking compared to the quality we have been used to for years. But I still would recommend you play the 7.2 msq as the story focuses on us, the WoL once more and that's one of my biggest gripes about 7.0 in general where I felt the WoL was a background character. There is also great character development that felt good too and I also enjoyed both the new dungeon (gave me FFXIII Fifth Ark vibes) and the trial.

For me, my problem with "7.2 is good again" is that the damage is done for all of DT pretty much. At this point, no matter how good any story told in Tural/S9 is, the setting itself is so utterly unbelievable and devoid of meaning to me that, as long as the story is set in these places and as long as it relies on factors from 7.0/1, it's never going to hit for me no matter how hard it tries.

That's not to say you can't enjoy it. We're different people. But I would highly recommend against recommending that people who are checked out with the story return to something they're actively disliking right now, because it creates nothing but bitter feelings if they end up not enjoying the story they were told "is better now". That's what happened for me with 7.1 at any rate.

[Kytrin]

I understand and I agree that 7.0 and 7.1 were very lacking compared to the quality we have been used to for years. But I still would recommend you play the 7.2 msq as the story focuses on us, the WoL once more and that's one of my biggest gripes about 7.0 in general where I felt the WoL was a background character. There is also great character development that felt good too and I also enjoyed both the new dungeon (gave me FFXIII Fifth Ark vibes) and the trial.

Aye, it's an improvement for sure, one I was very pleased to see, but I remain skeptical about them rescuing the story for Tural at this point. Even Stormblood (which objectively had a weaker story due to the split between Ala Mhigo and Doma) didn't evoke the reaction I've had to 7.0 and 7.1. There's a part of me that is hoping they can pull it off, but there's another part of me that is just ready to hit Meracydia or whatever the name of fantasy Iceland was lol.

I suppose we'll see what 7.3-7.5 bring...