Square Enix, it's time to come clean about your plans for the future

[PaulH]

Do people look at Squares financial report, the analysis and the figures in the last quarterly report for instance are quite clear.

As for speculation about development please point us at a product roadmap and/or product strategy and then we can have a useful thread.....

[Xaphire]

Is the OP a major SE shareholder? Why are they asking for a developmental roadmap for an entire division on a forum?

[dspguy]

How long do you think this game will go on? If anything 7.0 is a borderline surprise.

While there aren't many fair comparisons that can be made between FFXI and FFXIV, there are a few important ones: both are subscription-based and avenues to make money for the company. Eventually, the graphics get worn out, the developers run of new concepts to add to the game, and they will have a hard time competing with eye-candy that uses a new game engine.

With that said, FFXI's last real expansion was 2013... essentially 11 years after the servers went live. We are approaching the 10 year mark (let's not count 1.0). By the time the expansion is released, we are at the 11 year mark. FFXIV devs have followed a pretty specific formula since HW. It is pretty easy to know the nature of new content (comes out like clockwork). The graphics are getting worn out (I'm personally fine with them - I'm old school and still play 8/16-bit games). The formula is getting tired.

EW sort of wrapped up one "era" of the game - the one that started back in 2.0. The next expansion might not tie in much with that, but it doesn't mean it will begin the next 10 year story arc. In my opinion, they'll like have this next expansion and possibly one more after that. Followed by "mini-expansion" - sort of a content dump to keep subs up a little longer. Then it will just go into maintenance mode.

We are closer to the end of the line than the beginning. It just isn't clear when that will happen. For myself, I'm enjoying the ride and would rather see the game sunset when it makes sense to do it instead of making a story that doesn't "fit" with the Eorzea we know. I'll cross my fingers that Dawntrail is not that expansion.

[TarynH]

copium

I do not think this word means what you think it means.

[TheMightyMollusk]

I do not think this word means what you think it means.

It's an entirely made-up word. It doesn't really mean anything.

[Atelier-Bagur]

How long do you think this game will go on? If anything 7.0 is a borderline surprise.

While there aren't many fair comparisons that can be made between FFXI and FFXIV, there are a few important ones: both are subscription-based and avenues to make money for the company. Eventually, the graphics get worn out, the developers run of new concepts to add to the game, and they will have a hard time competing with eye-candy that uses a new game engine.

With that said, FFXI's last real expansion was 2013... essentially 11 years after the servers went live. We are approaching the 10 year mark (let's not count 1.0). By the time the expansion is released, we are at the 11 year mark. FFXIV devs have followed a pretty specific formula since HW. It is pretty easy to know the nature of new content (comes out like clockwork). The graphics are getting worn out (I'm personally fine with them - I'm old school and still play 8/16-bit games). The formula is getting tired.

EW sort of wrapped up one "era" of the game - the one that started back in 2.0. The next expansion might not tie in much with that, but it doesn't mean it will begin the next 10 year story arc. In my opinion, they'll like have this next expansion and possibly one more after that. Followed by "mini-expansion" - sort of a content dump to keep subs up a little longer. Then it will just go into maintenance mode.

We are closer to the end of the line than the beginning. It just isn't clear when that will happen. For myself, I'm enjoying the ride and would rather see the game sunset when it makes sense to do it instead of making a story that doesn't "fit" with the Eorzea we know. I'll cross my fingers that Dawntrail is not that expansion.

Can't be a borderline surprise when the devs have constantly been telling its audience in various ways that FFXIV is still an ongoing project even before Endwalkers release.

I know we discuss, joke and criticize them for not listening sometimes but do we as the playerbase also guilty of this? Do we just not pay attention?

[tsuchii]

They're working on FF16 for PC and FF16 DLCs at the MINIMUM.

How do you know these things? Are you HR? You have someone on the inside? LOL

[Jojoya]

How do you know these things? Are you HR? You have someone on the inside? LOL

They already announced they were going to work on a PC version so there's nothing shocking about that.

Whether or not they'll make any DLCs for XVI is unknown. Some would like DLCs for the "missing years" or that would explain one of the games bigger mysteries. Personally, I don't see much point in the former and I think the game had already left a massive hint that solves the latter.

[Ishe-P]

I'm mostly sure SE's plan for the future is to make more money.

[Payadopa]

It's an entirely made-up word. It doesn't really mean anything.

So is every word. People give it meaning. Otherwise we'd still talk in grunts.