Bad business practices to get a few extra bucks

[JTWrenn]

I just ran into something with my PS5 that I feel...is just not a fair way to license this game.

I currently am using my PS5 instead of a pc where I usually play. I am doing that because I am in covid quarantine, waiting for a test result. So...I bought FFXIV for my PS5 and jury rigged up a few things so I could play back here. Cost some money that felt weird paying for as I only have one account...that I already pay for...but whatever. That is where the game community/business is right now. You pay for versions on different systems. But.....I got mad when I tried to login on my wife's account.

That is when I found that in order for my wife to ever play on the PS5....I would have to buy the game again. I want to be clear. I am not talking about concurrent gaming...I can see why that would be necessary. I am talking about if I am not on my ps5 and she is, and she decides to play....we need to buy the whole game, and every expansion again.

This is not how almost any game works on the ps5...certainly not any that I have ever seen. Generally...you buy the game for the system, and any user on the system can then use it. Not so in FFXIV's case. Every user, on the same system needs to buy the game...over and over again. No sharing. Nothing.

Square Enix, please, stop doing this money grubbing stuff. I pay every month to pay this game and so does my wife. We have purchased the game for each of us, and then I bought a copy for the ps5, and now...you are saying we need to buy it a second time because.....? It is not standard practice, and it is just scummy. Every micro transaction and extra purchase you add onto this hurts your retention. it makes you seem like you are being very greedy to me.

I hope others agree and start to push for some more reasonable level of micro transactions (not that bad but they are there), and sensible licensing. Follow the standards of each system....hell every console at least. It's ridiculous and unfair to your customers.

End rant. Sorry for the book. Kind of stuck here and just trying to not lose my mind and running into this kind of greed right now, for a game I really like just pissed me off.

[SnowVix]

I just ran into something with my PS5 that I feel...is just not a fair way to license this game.

I currently am using my PS5 instead of a pc where I usually play. I am doing that because I am in covid quarantine, waiting for a test result. So...I bought FFXIV for my PS5 and jury rigged up a few things so I could play back here. Cost some money that felt weird paying for as I only have one account...that I already pay for...but whatever. That is where the game community/business is right now. You pay for versions on different systems. But.....I got mad when I tried to login on my wife's account.

That is when I found that in order for my wife to ever play on the PS5....I would have to buy the game again. I want to be clear. I am not talking about concurrent gaming...I can see why that would be necessary. I am talking about if I am not on my ps5 and she is, and she decides to play....we need to buy the whole game, and every expansion again.

This is not how almost any game works on the ps5...certainly not any that I have ever seen. Generally...you buy the game for the system, and any user on the system can then use it. Not so in FFXIV's case. Every user, on the same system needs to buy the game...over and over again. No sharing. Nothing.

Square Enix, please, stop doing this money grubbing stuff. I pay ever month to pay this game and so does my wife. We have purchased the game for each of us, and then I bought a copy for the ps5, and now...you are saying we need to buy it a second time because.....? It is not standard practice, and it is just scummy. Every micro transaction and extra purchase you add onto this hurts your retention. it makes you seem like you are being very greedy to me.

I hope others agree and start to push for some more reasonable level of micro transactions (not that bad but here), and sensible licensing. Follow the standards of each system....hell every console at least. It's ridiculous and unfair to your customers.

End rant. Sorry for the book. Kind of stuck here and just trying to not lose and running into this kind of greed right now, for a game I really like just pissed me off.

This is how literally every MMO works. Each account needs its own license to play.

[JTWrenn]

This is how literally every MMO works. Each account needs its own license to play.

For some maybe but not all. ESO allows for shared play for their base game. Not many other mmos to check on, but even if it was true....do you really think it is a fair way to sell a game?

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

For some maybe but not all. ESO allows for shared play for their base game. Not many other mmos to check on, but even if it was true....do you really think it is a fair way to sell a game?

Yes? Its a separate account system that requires its own subscription and licenses.

Its also VERY upfront about this....

[JTWrenn]

Yes? Its a separate account system that requires its own subscription and licenses.

Its also VERY upfront about this....

So you think that it makes sense for one system to not be licenses for a game. You really think that is a fair and good practice for the growth of ffxiv? That a family with a couple of kids that might want to share a console should have to buy a game multiple times, then pay multiple subscriptions? All the same price mind you.

I mean why? How does that make any sense. I bought the game 3 damn times already so I could play on 3 different devices. Also, your idea of up front is pretty damn convoluted to me. Mogstation is crazy hard to understand, and having different licensing for different systems, then having mmos follow a different license path from any other game on a ps5 is crazy.

Look I like the game, love it even, but defending this level of purchase requirements for a ps5 is nuts to me.

Again, not saying a bait and switch, just saying it's crap and bad for the community...especially right now.

[MicahZerrshia]

Wait, so you can not simply log out of one account on ps and then log into another like you can on PC? That sounds bogus.

edit: oh wait I am an idiot. The versions are tied to the accounts and therefore you could log in to multiple accounts on the ps, but they all need to have that version unlocked. Yeah I can see that as being odd but pretty standard practice from what I understand.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

So you think that it makes sense for one system to not be licenses for a game. You really think that is a fair and good practice for the growth of ffxiv? That a family with a couple of kids that might want to share a console should have to buy a game multiple times, then pay multiple subscriptions? All the same price mind you.

I mean why? How does that make any sense. I bought the game 3 damn times already so I could play on 3 different devices. Also, your idea of up front is pretty damn convoluted to me. Mogstation is crazy hard to understand, and having different licensing for different systems, then having mmos follow a different license path from any other game on a ps5 is crazy.

Look I like the game, love it even, but defending this level of purchase requirements for a ps5 is nuts to me.

Again, not saying a bait and switch, just saying it's crap and bad for the community...especially right now.

XIV came out before the PS4 released. So what PS5 is doing has no relevance. And ESO is a different game, and has different practices.

You are paying for the license. The license is attached to your XIV account. That's the one that matters, its the same as PC. you need a license per user account for PC too. Its not like its some shady thing. It would be, in fact, more shady if it WAS different for console users.

[JTWrenn]

Wait, so you can not simply log out of one account on ps and then log into another like you can on PC? That sounds bogus.

edit: oh wait I am an idiot. The versions are tied to the accounts and therefore you could log in to multiple accounts on the ps, but they all need to have that version unlocked. Yeah I can see that as being odd but pretty standard practice from what I understand.

For mmos maybe but only for expansions. Generally the game doesn't tie to it, and having licenses for every single system you want to play on is the main thing that to me seems pretty bogus. Also, ESO does not do that for base game and every PS game doesnt do that. It just feel scummy to me, but oh well.

I may be wrong in the main post about how MMos tend to do it on consoles...this is the first, and last time I will ever try one really, but....nobody feels like this is an over reach? Like...$60 for every system you want to play on while you pay for a monthly? Really? To me it is horrible for the community and just sucks.

[Kes13a]

in all fairness, a majority of the community likely plays on one or the other so really would not notice

from what I understand, console code isnt the same as pc code, so yes, makes sense to me that if you use a console you would need a specific license for that version because a console, likely doesnt view a license the same way the pc does.

overreach? difficult to say as I only play on pc. without knowing how the systems work, if there is a cut that Sony takes (as they are a different company) to have an SE game on their platform, what needs to be considered when coding for consoles and what that adds to development, its hard to speculate with knowing only a small portion of that business decision.

[Xlantaa]

But. I mean, that's how works, usually. If you have PC/PS5, you can play on both, but if you don't have it on any of them, you cannot. That's how software licensing works. YOu wife has no PS5 license, she cannot login on PS5.