To those that say FF14 is not a big dog in MMO's

[Puremallace]

Well go tell Blizzard. I keep track of this stuff because why not...

Anyways at the recent Blizzcon they announced their 9.1 patch but the problem is details were super sparse and very up in the air so obviously people got concerned about a MASSIVE content drought that lined up this patch in August or September for some mysterious reason... FF14 players know why.

Now MAGICALLY out of thin air they announce their PTR for patch 9.1 exactly 2 weeks from today. Can anyone name something else that comes out exactly 2 weeks from today?

Square Enix keep doing exactly what you are doing and make the game about content and not endless systems. Blizzard has consistently tried to line up patch cycles to drown out FF14 news because they are scared and the feedback on the unsub surveys must be brutal.

[Theodric]

Blizzard have, historically, always released content patches for WoW right around the same time as competitors. It was that way back during the glory days when I still played it so I'm not surprised that it's a tactic embraced at present. It's a smart business move, really - and doesn't necessarily mean that there's hostility between the two companies, either.

[Penthea]

Well go tell Blizzard. I keep track of this stuff because why not...

Anyways at the recent Blizzcon they announced their 9.1 patch but the problem is details were super sparse and very up in the air so obviously people got concerned about a MASSIVE content drought that lined up this patch in August or September for some mysterious reason... FF14 players know why.

Now MAGICALLY out of thin air they announce their PTR for patch 9.1 exactly 2 weeks from today. Can anyone name something else that comes out exactly 2 weeks from today?

This just shows that Blizzard are concerned about FFXIV.

And this annoys me because as someone who used to love WoW and left due to feeling alienated and lied to, I wish Blizzard would just look at their game properly instead of trying to time their releases with another. They wouldn't have to worry about how another game is doing if their own mmo was actually in a healthy state. God. I miss the old Blizzard so much.

[linayar]

If it works, then it works. You can make plans against a competitor even if that competitor doesn't pose a challenge yet.

But it also works both ways. People might choose to go with the competitor instead.

So this actually shows confidence on Blizzard's part, lining up a PTR against an actual patch release.

[Puremallace]

Blizzard have, historically, always released content patches for WoW right around the same time as competitors. It was that way back during the glory days when I still played it so I'm not surprised that it's a tactic embraced at present. It's a smart business move, really - and doesn't necessarily mean that there's hostility between the two companies, either.

While I agree there are a few very concerning issues here for WoW players.

- First is the serious lack of detail not even three weeks ago when asked multiple times.
- Second they seemed to have no idea what to do with the multiple systems they created.
- Third even the most experienced WoW players were not expecting this and it seems very sudden.

Given the extended length this might be in testing it will be old content for a lot of very bored people by the time it is actually released. My guess they are going to have a release date for this and Burning Crusade lined up to try and preempt any good news/reviews of Endwalker.

The fact this PTR is directly lined up with the 5.5 release date is certainly not an accident and I seriously doubt their expansion being called Shadowlands when the biggest competitor is called ShadowBringers was an accident either. It is 100% designed to confuse the google algorithm and recommendations on Google and Youtube when searching for an MMO. Activision is known for scummy business practices and this is just one of them.

They sounded extremely confident at the time that this expansion would be easy competition for FF14 and it is turning into a trainwreck. One MMO has very straight forward systems based on classic MMO design and the other is a convoluted mess of systems designed more for grinding vs fun.

Personally I wish Square Enix would push in the dagger and give us a pvp revamp and Mythic plus content but it seems I will be waiting still for this.

[LittleImp]

WoW continues to live rent-free in every FFXIV players head.

WoW still has 3-4x the total active population of this game. Must be a better game amirite.

[Puremallace]

WoW continues to live rent-free in every FFXIV players head.

WoW still has 3-4x the total active population of this game. Must be a better game amirite.

You better believe it does because I keep watching it to see if they ever fire Ion HazExcuses for what he has done to that MMO. Everyday that they do not is another day they lose more guilds and subscribers to bad leadership. I have zero issues tracking competition for FF14 for any signs of life to see any tricks they are trying to drown out good news from this MMO.

I watch them for any signs that they will EVER get their act together and actually challenge anyone in the genre again outside of finding more creative ways to monetize their whales.

[Penthea]

WoW continues to live rent-free in every FFXIV players head.

And yet it seems Blizzard waits to see what SE are doing before deciding on their own release dates. Seems SE are living rent free in Blizzard's head.

WoW still has 3-4x the total active population of this game. Must be a better game amirite.

Don't underestimate how much nostalgia can make people stay. It took me several years to quit because of it.

Also WoW was a pivotal game when it was released, it set a new standard for mmorpgs. That sort of fame doesn't die quickly. Just look at how people are still wondering where Half Life 3 is after all these years. FFXIV achieved amazing things but it did not explode onto the market like WoW did. The flames of that era are still burning.

[Awha]

As someone who enjoys and still has a sub to both games. In the end both scratch a different itch. Though I will say FFXIV PvP is so far behind WoW's in terms of general play and reaction I doubt SE will ever be able to grab that crowd outside of a full engine overhaul coupled with a rework. PvP is the main reason why I still have my WoW sub.

[Puremallace]

And yet it seems Blizzard waits to see what SE are doing before deciding on their own release dates. Seems SE are living rent free in Blizzard's head.

It is easier for a WoW player to come to the FF14 forums to figure out when the release date for new content will come out for that MMO. It is not an accident that when FF14 delayed patch 5.4 due to COVID in Japan that Blizzard also delayed an ENTIRE expansion and released it 1 week before patch 5.4.

Your assessment is certainly correct.