Quote Originally Posted by Abriael View Post
Timings have changed all over the place, with multiple delays, so they're completely irrelevant.

What is definitely relevant is that they promised a second free trial period. And all their communication clearly defines a free trial period as the free period after the release of the game.

in no instance of communication from Square Enix it defines a beta.
There is a very simple explanation for this timeline. I'm not sure if this is correct, mind you, but it's a simple explanation that I offer. We all know that this was an early timeline posted, which has changed many times, as Abriael notes. Note that one of the 'endpoint' goals near the Free Trial on that chart is "the merging of version 2.0 and current client software"--that phrase right there is enough to tell you this was a very early timeline. This timeline suggests that originally, the plan was to launch the PC version of ARR BEFORE the PS3 version of ARR. It's that simple. Now, the timeline has changed, and they are planning on a simultaneous release.

The fact that the timeline of PC and PS3 released changed does NOT mean that the originally announced *second*, *reinstated* free trial for PC [read: all current FFXIV players] 'magically disappears' all by itself. Square-Enix, for a reason yet unknown, has decided not to offer what it originally said it would.

Can SE do this? Absolutely. Is all this subject to change? Absolutely. But financial/subscription matters are something of a different cup of tea than "they said we'd get Baby Garuda minion and they took it out, plz add it back plz" or something. If SE were today to announce that Legacy members would not get the previously announced discount on their subscription fees, it would be a big deal. The fact that they advertised a reinstated 30 day free trial, and now *seem* to have taken it away with no explanation, is a similar sort of thing. Not a gamebreaker for most of us fans, but still very disappointing.