So SE has officially stated their MMO profits have tanked.

[Pimsan20]

I just hope 14 can rebound after this. I really like the game even with it's flaws. It helped me during Covid.

[Jeeqbit]

I just hope 14 can rebound after this. I really like the game even with it's flaws. It helped me during Covid.

You don't need to worry about the game actually existing. Even if it's population reduces more, it will likely just be at its original baseline of 500-600k and the game was definitely just fine back then. It's all relative to individual datacenters, after all, so in a worst case they could attempt to merge worlds or make transferring to a target data center less problematic.

I mean, not everything about Dawntrail is bad per-say. Don't get me wrong, the main story in 7.0 has many flaws, i admit. But if we look beside the MSQ, the raid series, the dungeon and trails were a good step in the right direction.

Dawntrail wasn't perfect. In retrospect I'd even rank it below ARR, especially because of how it got FF9 lore and portrayed it in a way that makes me sick. But I still enjoyed it, especially everything prior to Heritage Found. Even the story after that at least had more time spent on it than the patches. Because as you said, the environments and dungeons and trials were great.

In a lot of ways, what has made it difficult for me is the patches. They all doubled downed on "electrope FF9", including the latest one, which reminds me of the sickness I had tried to move on from, and the result is just apathy - not really caring for the MSQ much. I just really didn't care for what was going on in 7.3 at this point. I even think that all the people who skipped it didn't miss much; it was more of all the things they're tired of.

I'd have loved if Underkeep could have been in Living Memory instead and had no electrope whatsoever, so it could just be a true exploration of FF9 in all its authenticity. We always deal with the scions nodding and thanking but it just felt even more excessive than normal in 7.3 and it stands out so much more when you're apathetic about what's going on.

The irony is that FF9 is an example of some of the best storytelling. They could learn something from actually playing the game, like how to make the scions interesting instead of existing solely to shower you with praises and be a duty support NPC. I know they need them there for duty support, but you really notice when there is no purpose in that character being in the story, and they do it just so you have Duty Support. They need to try harder to make it feel natural, probably by just introducing new warrior characters. It's not like they can't; they do it in sidequests all of the time and it doesn't take them long.

As for what 7.3 tells us the future holds, if you've done it, you know. In some ways I'm glad we're (somewhat) moving on, but in other ways I'm just apathetic at what it seems to be hinting.

[Shinku_Tachi]

I just hope 14 can rebound after this. I really like the game even with it's flaws.

Agreed, same!

At the end of the day, even with my criticisms it's all love, ya dig.

I want Yoshida-san to succeed, I want CBU3 to succeed, I want Final Fantasy XIV to succeed.

When they're succeeding, it means we're getting great content. When they're succeeding, we're regularly getting new blood in the playerbase. When they're succeeding it means we're continuing to have a game we love to login to day-in day-out, week-in week-out, month-in month-out, year-in year-out.

[Carin-Eri]

I just hope 14 can rebound after this. I really like the game even with it's flaws. It helped me during Covid.

I'm not sure whether it's because a new patched launched very recently, but - speaking in terms of my experience - I've had quite a few instances running roulettes where the team was mostly Sprouts who seemed genuinely new to the game. Heck, I had 'Final Steps of Faith' pop in roulette this morning and, after we'd defeated angrywyrm there were four sprouts discussing how awesome they thought the trial and story leading up to it was.

I guess there is something to be said for the fact that some 'veterans' of the game may not be happy with recent offerings but the game does still seem to be attracting some new blood.

[Jeeqbit]

I'm not sure whether it's because a new patched launched very recently, but - speaking in terms of my experience - I've had quite a few instances running roulettes where the team was mostly Sprouts who seemed genuinely new to the game. Heck, I had 'Final Steps of Faith' pop in roulette this morning and, after we'd defeated angrywyrm there were four sprouts discussing how awesome they thought the trial and story leading up to it was.

I guess there is something to be said for the fact that some 'veterans' of the game may not be happy with recent offerings but the game does still seem to be attracting some new blood.

Oh it is, and let me tell you, those players are just as happy with the game as people used to be back in Heavensward and other expansions where people were way more positive. There is no shortage of these sprouts, either, you've just met the tip of the iceberg there.

But they are just a percentage of a larger pie at the end of the day. They and returners have been masking anyone that leaves for quite a long time so that it doesn't reflect statistically.

[TimotheusReed]

I'm not sure whether it's because a new patched launched very recently, but - speaking in terms of my experience - I've had quite a few instances running roulettes where the team was mostly Sprouts who seemed genuinely new to the game. Heck, I had 'Final Steps of Faith' pop in roulette this morning and, after we'd defeated angrywyrm there were four sprouts discussing how awesome they thought the trial and story leading up to it was.

I guess there is something to be said for the fact that some 'veterans' of the game may not be happy with recent offerings but the game does still seem to be attracting some new blood.

I totally agree. I also have sprouts on the regular in my roulettes and some of them also mentionhow awesome this game is! I can confirm. Problem is that the current discourse of this game is almost completely dominated by veteran players who have already finished everything in the game and who put in propably 1000-2000 hours. Sometimes those veteran voices drown out all the people which are still going through the story and enjoy it.

Seeing sprouts every time i do Duty Roulette makes me hopeful, because even though compared to other MMOs, this game at least still attracts new people.

With other MMOs I play I don't even know the last time I saw or connected with a new player, because the only "new" characters I often see are alts from veterans.

[hydralus]

I totally agree. I also have sprouts on the regular in my roulettes and some of them also mentionhow awesome this game is! I can confirm. Problem is that the current discourse of this game is almost completely dominated by veteran players who have already finished everything in the game and who put in propably 1000-2000 hours. Sometimes those veteran voices drown out all the people which are still going through the story and enjoy it.

Seeing sprouts every time i do Duty Roulette makes me hopeful, because even though compared to other MMOs, this game at least still attracts new people.

With other MMOs I play I don't even know the last time I saw or connected with a new player, because the only "new" characters I often see are alts from veterans.

Unfortunately, nobody's going to invest in making a new MMO when there are so many failures. I've been waiting ages for a new superhero MMO to play and the only one who is even trying to launch looks like absolute garbage. It's either go back to games from 2013 or nothing at all.

[Hallarem]

They got a bunch of new players, instead of working ln keeping them all in. They rushed the story (Endwalker) because of the success. Which makes NO sense at all. And now they are struggling to make anyone interested in their new storylines. You take your time and POLISH if you are successful. You dont RUSH

They did not fix their systems or QoL as a priority and focused on other projects on the side. Because they thought the "new player experience" would keep people hooked and their outdated dinosaur japanese thinking of "we have a product and it stays the same so clients are comfy because people hate change" again. You are NOT coca-cola, you are an MMO. Change is critical, innovation is critical.

What can I say except you get what you deserve. 8.0 is my limit, or if another MMO with better rp features comes along.

This MMO needs a new director who focuses ONLY on ffxiv and the CEO needs to give the director and team more funds and time to innovate.

[BlisteringFrost]

But how long until that new blood runs into the things that veterans are having problems with? If anything they'll hit the wall sooner because they don't have to wait months/years before the sinking creeps up on them.

I encounter new people frequently on Dynamis, but a lot of them end up with a much different view of the game when they're having to rely on some level 100 (or several in the case of Crystal Tower) to one-shot escort them through mandatory MSQ content. At best they think the game is actually a single-player RPG and the MMO part is "optional" and at worst they think the whole game is dead and people like me are just very helpful survivors. I also can't count the number of "new friends" I've made in the last nearly 3 years that either:

A. Transfer to a data center that isn't Dynamis.
B. Never get seen again.

That said, Square-Enix is reaping what they sowed with regards to their apathy and blunders, and I don't really have enough trust or faith in them to fix things, especially when they have a convenient "exit plan" right there in the form of Final Fantasy 11's Mass Trust.

"Not enough people playing? That's fine, we'll just retoll EVERYTHING to be doable with NPCs." And that's assuming they don't just shutter the whole thing and bank exclusively on the mobile version instead.

God forbid you tell them to swap servers real quick to get a faster queue instead to experience the content as intended.

Especially in Maduins Novice Network...