Thread: Is 2.0 a new game? a rebranding attempt? an update? an expansion? a fix? What Is It?

In the past week I have heard 2.0 called
"A Rebranding"
"An Update"
"An Expansion"
"A fix for earlier problems"
"A Redesign"
and "A new game"

SE needs to make it clear to the media what "A Realm Reborn" is, as anyone looking into it will be ultimately confused.

For example, IGN should probably not title their video "A Realm Rebranded" and then call this an "Update". An update is something that fixes 4 or 5 problems I've never experienced on my PS3, not a complete redesign of a game.

The website doesn't seem to state anything.
It titles it "A Realm Reborn" and then beneath it says "What is Final Fantasy XIV"

To anyone familiar with normal MMO's, it looks like an expansion, flat out.
To anyone following it on IGN, it's probably a "massive update"
To most people here, me included, it's a "new game"
To many people reading less-popular news sites it is a "complete redesign"

But what sounds more appealing to an individual that quit at launch?
An Update?
An Expansion?
A Redesign?
or A New Game?

And to people who may want to join FFXIV for the first time, what sounds more appealing?

From a marketing standpoint, calling this a new game or redesign is probably the best option.

So please SE, make it clear to the media what this is, and make it -very- clear on the website.

Just an aside, here are some quotes from random sites that demonstrate people's confusion.


"You know...
The new logo makes it look like an expansion of FFXIV rather than a remake of it. They should have made the FFXIV text bigger than the A Realm Reborn text.
TrueGalvanization 1 day ago"

"Everyone.. "Rebranded" is the Wrong term IGN used.. They aren't Rebranding FFXIV, The basically made a New game, with old maps Completely redone- They are taking that huge chunk of land and Separating them into Smaller "Unique zones" the World will be just as big as before, just everything is going to be different. They have the New Website up and running with the bulk of there information coming from Gamescom!. theres so much to tell you that I can't fit it all here so if you have Q's Ask .
Allforone246 1 hour ago"

"I enjoyed FF13, so when i heard about FF14 online i was trippen out. And the i saw what it was like and said HELL NO. So as for a rebranded version. Im gonna wait till it gets reviewed befor even thinking about setting a side my hard earned cash.
gingerbails 2 days ago"

"okay, I'm not a die hard FF fan but I just bought FFXIV and it keeps crashing but I'm trying to work past it. When this is released will I have to buy it again or a complete new version?
madspike1994 3 days ago "

"ryanlobrovich • 3 days ago
So I just want to be sure, if you already have 14 on PC, when 2.0 comes out it will just basically be a giant patch? Meaning the time to invest is now or atleast before 2.0 comes out? Cuz damn is it cheap on Amazon.

Response:

Anatoray • 3 days ago • parent
Yes, 2.0 will be offered as a massive patch to the original game, and include a new free month pass"

"skies10 • 3 days ago −
You Guys are idiots for saying oh you have to pay or something YOU DONT HAVE TO PAY FOR ONLINE AND CRAP FOR THE PS3 OKAY IDIOTS"

"IllregularHunterZero • 3 days ago −
I don't think the game can be fixed the way it was when I last played was a mess, they need to just forget ff14 and move on."

"abercrombiepat • 3 days ago −
They should have renamed it , "you might as well go back to ffxi since we are adding more content , new areas , jobs , upgrades to graphics". Still don't see a reason to leave ffxi for this."

"MatthewArdill
If that's the case we'll see when there's something more than a flashy trailer if it's worth while. This is not the first "relaunch" of this game. How many launches do you need? They claim it's been re-engineered from the ground up I'll believe it when I see it and can actually find out how game play is, they said they were going to revolutionize game play when they released FF XIV and in the end it was just a mess. The proof (after this many failures) is in the putting."

Oh dear god, make it stop.

Do you honestly think that people all treat an expansion, update, and new game the same way?
People who dislike the game for it's style will ignore an update because they will still think its the same FFXIV
People who don't want to start a 2 year old game with bad reviews will ignore the game if they think this is an expansion

But if people -know- it's a new game that is completely different from the original 14 they may actually take an interest in it.

It's not like I'm posting spam or useless comments, I backed up the argument with about 10 quotes from multiple sites, and it only took me 5 minutes to find those, meaning there are probably quite a few more like them.

"SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES REDESIGNED FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN
July 26, 2012
Massively Multiplayer Online Adventure Rebuilt from the Ground Up"

From the http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com on the front page.

Originally Posted by Dawiichan

"SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES REDESIGNED FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN
July 26, 2012
Massively Multiplayer Online Adventure Rebuilt from the Ground Up"

From http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com

But people visiting ign for their gaming news won't see that.

That's the point I'm making. SE's marketing department needs to be proactive in making sure the entire gaming community knows this isn't just a fix or an update, but a completely different game with borrowed aspects and transferred characters.

For example, I tried WoW and hated it. However, if WoW-2 came out with a new battle system, different way of leveling and different economy, I may try it. Just like a lot of people that quit FFXI after 1 month tried and still play FFXIV.

If SE can't make it clear this is a new game (and the word re-design doesn't really convey that, as a lot of people would call the changes to WoW in the last expansion a re-design), then a lot of people will ignore it and forget about it.