PS3 Release

[Arcell]

Well they're going to at least wait until all of the combat fixes are done, I think (based off of info given in Letters from the Producer) that these will be finished by the end of June. I believe the goal was 2 months but then given the downtime I think the end of June is a reasonable time frame.

After that I think their best course of action would be to release with the first expansion. This way that gives PS3 players even more incentive to jump in right away, especially since we'll likely get new classes at that point so everyone will be leveling low rank stuff including the veteran PC players.

Not to mention over the course of time between now and then they'll be adding more side-quests, dungeons, hopefully instances and whatnot. At that point FFXIV will have more than enough content to reasonably launch on the PS3. I'm estimating September, the 1 year anniversary of FFXIV's launch. This will put it a bit ahead of all the huge holiday season titles but still at about the point where sales could be increased by it.

If I recall correctly, that was the strategy with FFXI's NA launch right?

[Platinumstorm]

I'm pretty shocked that some of you are talking about a PS3 release at this point, and even an expansion. The game's going to take a year and a half more to get ready for "launch".

An expansion would be disastrous with the game, because there is not a strong faith among the players who purchased XIV in the first place, and then you're asking them to throw down $30-50 more?

No:
The plan has to be provide lots of great content to the point where you can start charging your players again, then build hype for a PS3 release again, and hopefully people who bought the PC version will look around and see; oh, wow that was REALLY improved, then they come back, the PS3 version is released, and then they can start worrying about a content schedule and an expansion.

Right now all that's being done is rebuilding the game and putting basic frameworks in; I can't even stand to log in for more than 5 minutes because I realize there's nothing to do, even though I want the game to succeed.

[PM1337]

They have only started their 'radical transformation'... I don't think it would make any sense to release it for PS3 before they're done with that.

Not to mention the game would flop even harder if released as-is... >_>;

AGREED!!!!!!!!

[Fensfield]

It may be in a decent state to release on the PS3, but I'm pretty sure they're holding off anyway - as others have said, maybe until the next expansion, but my money's on when they begin billing.

Most of the reason they're holding off right now isn't so much about readiness as it is avoiding all the awkwardness would come with applying every patch to the PS3 version as well as the PC. Whatever happens, 'don't think we'll see a PS3 release until the development pace slows down some and the big changes are being delivered primarily through expansions, myself.

Not that I don't wish the PS3 version wouldn't hurry along and all.

[Xatsh]

SE needs to just wait until expansion 1 for the PS3, make it where there is no way people can say... man there is no content.

If PS3 fails they will probably just pull the plug on the game, at that point it would never recover enough to warrant players from investing time into it. And se continuing to sink millions into development.

If people are not saying man this game is awesome by PS3 release, we are in deep trouble with this game.

[Basstastic]

I think that one of the main reasons the game is in such bad shape is that the focus was making for the PS3 in the first place. It should be made good as is then worry about expanding the market later. SE should be trying to get MMO people to want to play and most MMO players play on a PC.

[Arcell]

It's pretty clear that PS3 launch will coincide with or shortly follow the start of the billing. They share a common condition ("The game is in a good enough state") so it only makes sense.

Upon further discussion and thought I don't think we'll see an expansion upon PS3 launch but we may at the very least see a couple of new classes. Reason being, logically they would want the PC players going back to Rank 1 to play with all the new PS3 players at Rank 1.

Of course they're going to be adding content from now until PS3 launch either way so the game will be in a much better state by then. Considering that the PS3 version hasn't even started any kind of beta testing means that it's at the very least 3+ months away. I mean there's much less to test with the PS3 version than there was with the PC version but they still need to do testing.

I'm honestly betting on or around 9/18/11 simply because that's the one year anniversary of PC launch and the game should be more than ready by then.

[Reika]

After the battle changes and the addition of dungeons, I would say it would be a good time for PS3 release

[Platinumstorm]

After the battle changes and the addition of dungeons, I would say it would be a good time for PS3 release

Doesn't that beg the question of why players aren't being charged subscription fees, and why the player base hasn't rebounded? This game won't be ready after the battle changes, or the introduction of a dungeon or two. Patience is the best option.

[Xatsh]

I say after 5-10 dungeons are added if they are in FFXI's style or 20-30 in WoW's style as well as about 4xs as many side quest, Unlock chocobos, airships, and the locked zones, and add about 40 more nms added. and the game will be decent enough to charge for.