1) monthly sub for each players
2) many money from cash shop, with some aesthetic (minions, mount, outfits...) comfort (lvlup) and usefull thing (retainer)
There another thing than anyone can easy find (thank you to google)
Before ARR : company was not in good health
Now : really good health, even some fail are not a real matter.
Maybe i am silly, but i think that we could change what you said this way :
"Billion dollar company...with more than one development team and property. The FFXIV dev team is only ever going to get a certain portion of his own benefits."
and THIS is the full matter. We can see it well with housing issues but... not only. Lets speak about all release? the numerous fail from the last release? (raubahn Xtrem, a little Pipin Xtrem, world congestion, DF congestion, Area congestion,) We didnt played FFXIV : SB but FFXIV : congestion
And yes i know, all games get issues with release yes. for this i totally accepted apologize for ARR. and admit fail may happen for HW... Enough is Enough now
Most of game, expansion release matter last 2, 3 days? 1 week? 1 month if it is the full game release... WAS 1 MONTH FOR SB...
SE allow only part of his money to FFXIV, we all know this. SE wants FFXIV to get many money to bank account, we know that... we all understood this when cash shop came out.
But when SE have to use money to do FFXIV better, make people happy, here we are :
Probably SE are Pink Floyd's fans...
Others housing are not so good FFXIV is?
Lets speak about one i had full use, BDO, there is a bad part of this (getting as much point as possible to make profit) but the "RP use" is really good, With various size / form of house, you can do many thing. Less than FFXIV from some view, more for other view.
AND ALL ACCOUNT can get up to 5 houses EASILY (cost nothing), And there isnt anything that we will ever get in FFXIV with ward system : You can ALWAYS get the house you want, event if all other players already bought this house.
Because yes, FFXIV, even if we all get a house, what about people that want L or M, and are block on S because no more M/L avaible? what about "the plot they want" (30/60 in shirogane for example).
Others game can do anything different and as good as FFXIV (some better point, some worst point)... AND make it avaible to all. WHY cant FFXIV do the same?