Why another complex minigame that will probably die in 2 weeks?

[Arya_Leviathan]

There's a slight difference there. FFXIV is a sub based MMO, so it always begs the question of the incentive you have to play the minigames in FFXIV as opposed to probably a dozen free mulplayer similar minigames online.

Especially for the several months before an expansion, that are usually pretty dry, making people eager to unsub.

You don't need a sub to play most Golden Saucer attractions. You can play mahjong at level 15 with a free trial account. The only really popular online riichi mahjong is tenhou.