Interview - Cost, Hiring, FT, Hardcore and Casual, Ultimate, Cosmic, Future of FFXIV

[brinn12]

Underpaid developers, recruitment restricted to national territory, dated engine with multiple band-aid fixes through time. Current developers don't even have the expertise to implement a proper blacklist system, and exposed sensitive user data to every client.

Meanwhile nonpaid international developers have (illegally) built a much better engine themselves that works well with the game, and the mobile version has features which might never come to FFXIV. It's only natural that the developers applying will be below expectations for a global product.

The true question is: what is Square Enix going to do about it? How long until we get meaningful changes that will restore the faith many once had in them? All of this PR talk and lack of personal accountability is only going in the opposite direction. When faced with complaints regarding content or job design, Yoshi-P has told people to play Ultimates or other games before.

The lack of effort on developing long-lasting content and decision to lobotomize every rotation into a 2-minute bland meta are not resource issues, they're just bad decisions. By many of Yoshi-P's statements, it's reasonable to conclude they've been designing the game for people who spend most of the year unsubscribed. Who's to say hiring experienced coders is going to change anything... For all we know, we've been on 2-year expansion cycles before, and the game was less profitable.