What does cash shop do for this game?

[Remus]

I am more just curious because they have had a cash shop up for some time now and I thought when it released this will help with creating a bit more content because they have a bit more money in their pocket.

I see people spending large amounts of money on Fantasias, buying mounts, buying minions etc but since then the game hasn't changed much in terms of content. When I heard they would include more content in 3.x I thought maybe this is where the cash shop money comes in but then I saw they had to remove a dungeon for it. I think they said they used it for EU data centers but that can't be the only reason because we still have the cash shop.

So I want people's opinion on the question: What does the cash shop actually do for FFXIV?

[MomomiMomi]

Helps develop FFXV.

[bass9020]

It allows people who complain and whine for past event items to be given to them.

[AskaRay]

Helps the-

Helps develop FFXV.

damnit I was beat

[Roegadyn_Bear]

It allows people who complain and whine for past event items to be given to them.

It also allows for people to complain about people who complain and whine for past events items to be put in the Mog Station because more money is evil or something!

[Derio]

It pretty much funds the development for expansions for that team. While your sub pretty much pays for everything else. Regardless it is needed and helps the game in more ways than 1.

[Canadane]

but then I saw they had to remove a dungeon for it.

They stopped developing 3 dungeons per patch because they wanted to do 2 + another content type. Be this gold saucer, pvp, palace of the dead, diadem, whatever.
So you are actually getting about the same content, just ones going to be different than a dungeon.

I don't think we have access to the SE funding records, so we may never know exactly where the cash shop profits are going.

[worldofneil]

I don't think we have access to the SE funding records, so we may never know exactly where the cash shop profits are going.

This. They've not said the money goes back into FFXIV so it I bet it just goes back into the global SE "pot" and gets allocated to various Square Enix endeavours, some of which may go back into FF XIV. That's certainly not an unusual business practice.

So ultimately, it's probably best you just assume the money goes to Square Enix directly, not this game specifically (and treat your purchases accordingly if that makes a difference to you).

[Maero]

Yeah pretty much most of the money they make from subs and cash shop goes on SE other projects, sad but true

[Roegadyn_Bear]

Yeah pretty much most of the money they make from subs and cash shop goes on SE other projects, sad but true

Well yes.

The profit they made out of FFXI went into developing this game and I'm certain that a chunk of the profits made from this game is being used to fund other projects.

If you don't play other games produced by Square-Enix or buy their merchandise, then I can see how this would seem pointless to you.

Without someone pulling a Mission Impossible over on Square-Enix Headquarters and retrieving information relevant to how the profit made from this game is spent, we won't exactly know what % of the money made actually goes into further developing the game.