Quote Originally Posted by Ashthra View Post
FFXIV didn't do so poorly merely because it stepped away from FFXI's "Grind 'Til You Drop" playstyle. FFXIV did poorly because it was the most unfinished MMO that's come out in the last five or six years. Vanguard released in a more complete state, and at least the first twenty levels of AoC were fun.

If anything, Tanaka stepped away from development that was grounded in logic or even sanity. Getting shoved out the door a year early only made the failure of his design choices that much more acute.
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