Taken from Polygon interview with Naoki Yoshida.

Link to full Interview for other details:
https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2...mour-expansion

Polygon: Now that Stormblood is finally over, did you learn anything about the playerbase over the course of the expansion? Did they react to reveals and new mechanics the way you expected to?

Naoki Yoshida: Our players have already greatly surpassed our expectations in many ways; they have taken the world of Final Fantasy 14 in as something that is both perpetual and natural. The reason I say it in this way is that players from around the world not only play the content we create, but also organize events and role-play on their own. One could say that many are taking residence in the world of FF14, which is changing what we need to provide — it is no longer just about creating content, but also simply providing a space to play within. I believe this is both a very strong and positive outcome for an MMORPG. The reaction toward battle mechanics and other specifics are a very small factor in comparison to this bigger picture.

I hope that the devs in terms of their awareness of the ffxiv playerbase. consider the housing aspect of the game as one avenue to focus on, when they think about how to provide us players; "who have taken residence in the ffxiv world, as well as organize ourselves for our own in-game events, and role play", with a space to play within.