I do think FF XIV could be successful as a free to play game. I feel bad for the FF fans that will have to pass on this game due to not being able to pay a subscription fee.

I think there is a danger of really confusing things going with both P2P and F2P. I tried playing Everquest 2 and I found it really confusing with its gold and silver subscriptions and the free option was far to restricting. It is very difficult to balance a game when it is like that.

FF XIV needs to stick with one subscription model and I believe either could work for the game. I think going with pay to play though will provide us with a higher quality experience. If it doesn't work out they can always move to free to play.