The Great FFXIV Exodus of 2024

[Yoshihara]

A lot of people I know have unsubbed from the game, I'm pretty much back to playing this game solo.

[Ephremjlm]

One of the people quoted, and here's my take.
What I know:
(1) Steam numbers show a decline.
(2) The 30 million number is total accounts created, not active subs. Maybe alts too?
(3) A lot of people left in FC, friends list, and discords. Also content creators I follow, which probably influences others.
(4) Reddit, the Forums, Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube sentiment seems to be negative as of the past year and a half.

Background: my forum start date is different but I technically started at the beginning of Stormblood. Note, I have done a bit of research into the past patches and forum(s) sentiments.

That said, I am an MMO player first, and I have seen the game remove RPG elements and focus less on general battle content which is what I play the game for. Gearing sucks, idk what else to say about it. I hate dailies, and how all of the content is instanced, hallways, or one off fights. I know it's a topic now, but I have been saying for years that the game was starting to feel like a mobile game. Hunts and fates are mind numbing and hunt trains are just one taps. Gold Saucer is cool once in a while, but I could absolutely care less about island sanctuary. I like Blue Mage stuff and wish there was more to do with it, and wish the open world was more utilized.

This isn't my first time quitting and I’ve only been more vocal as of recent because I think it’s valuable for others feeling the same, and for the team if they care. I saw the writing on the wall back in Endwalker, quit in 6.15, and didn't come back until the Blue Mage update, to which after that month I didn't come back again until a week before the expansion. I found it funny, I missed nothing because the day of the expansion I could literally hit EW max ilvl AND get a relic via the lowest currency, poetics. I then quit again for a bit until this patch.

The game just doesn’t have enough focus. I was pretty invested in the story so maybe that did more heavy lifting than I gave it credit for. That said, I always thought single camera angle, emoted character motions were garbage, along with the yapping dialog that would rear its ugly head. People say that's a DT issue but I think they recognize it more now because they care less about the characters. Funny enough, I thought the story writing in the Arcadian, and FFXI raids seemed much better than DT msq. Maybe it'll be better in other patches, but I've just decided back in EW that i'm going to put my money where my mouth is and until they give me, the paying customer, a reason that entices ME personally to come back, then I'm not gonna waste my life/money away. SE has no loyalty to me and I have no loyalty to them.

Take my account how you will. If SE decides that they don't want my target audience anymore then no worries. I like this place, but I’ll move on. And honestly im of the mind that once the mobile money starts coming in, we're all cooked anyways lol. But hey I would love to be wrong.

[ThaCa]

Most of my casual friends left, only few of my hardcore friends remain. I came back to play the updated PvP but unless they are going to put in something to strive towards for it, I'm probably gone in a month too, as it's the only thing I still find fun in this game.

[Lium]

lol. Haven’t looked at the forums for a couple months and the first thing I see is “THE GREAT EXODUS OF 2024”

Yeah, judging by the queue times I'm still getting on Primal at like 1am, it sure seems like a massive exodus, that's for sure. /s

FFXIV is still the second largest MMO in North America. A quick Google search reveals that. Having said that, I'm just now really getting back into it. My issue is not with the game itself, but rather the story. After the 10-year arc wrapped up, I'm having a hard time getting back into it. Same thing I went through with the MCU and Game of Thrones. The story is over for me.

But I'm still enjoying the game and love my character.

[Astronema]

The final straw for me was doing the new dungeon and watching the flying rocks overlap with the golem mob to form a floating sperm. I'm there fighting a giant testicle with a tail sticking out...

The story is still garbage and will remain garbage it seems until dawntrail is over. I am not happy to pay for another year and a half of it.
I am sick of sphene and lamat. They just need to be put in the closet and left to rot.


My idea was to make solution 9 like dalaran (moving city) in wow and we just have an experiment with the azem key that moves the city to meracydia.
We leave sphene and lamat far behind. We start fresh with some baggage being the city itself and its issues but we move away from most of the garbage plot. With how the patch ended that is going to be impossible. Where is this story going when will the suffering end?
Even the alliance raid is more evil lizard person global domination nonsense plot. I don't like lizard people. I don't like lizard people attempting global domination multiple times. Enough with the lizard people and their megalomania. If I wanted that I would watch C-SPAN or a WEF summit.



Spending the next year with sphene and lamat playing this is like doing time in a federal prison or being in an abusive relationship. I'm sure we have many more lizards that are planned to get a turn at global domination by 8.0 We can expect a cobra/spectre/dr.evil/shocker/insert random evil org/ crossovers.

[NightHour]

One of the people quoted, and here's my take.
What I know:
(1) Steam numbers show a decline.
(2) The 30 million number is total accounts created, not active subs. Maybe alts too?

30 million is accounts created yes, it's not active players.

If we count all the platforms XIV is on, Player count is probably around a million in my guess.


The worst takes are when people look at Steam and say "Oh my god game is dying".


People also forget there's 4 other types of License.

Windows, Mac, Playstation, Xbox.

Large majority of players either have a console license or non-steam license.

No one likes being locked out of a game they pay monthly for if Steam ever goes down.

[Reimmi]

Game exodus no, much quieter forums yes weeeeeeeee ;D.

You mean more echo chamber forums, since you need a sub to post here.
Just like reddit with its downvote system

[Reimmi]

30 million is accounts created yes, it's not active players.

If we count all the platforms XIV is on, Player count is probably around a million in my guess.


The worst takes are when people look at Steam and say "Oh my god game is dying".


People also forget there's 4 other types of License.

Windows, Mac, Playstation, Xbox.

Large majority of players either have a console license or non-steam license.

No one likes being locked out of a game they pay monthly for if Steam ever goes down.

I would just like to mention you're right about steam being the minority of players, but lol i think ff14 will die way before steam does. that thing prints money by doing nothing

[Rueby]

Well, speaking personally, the friends I have left from when I first started (very early ShB) have all had negative sentiments that started from post Endwalker, I share them too.
Ever since I've started playing I've been in love with the game, the story and all else, I could say I was a FFXIV shill having come from Bugwars 2. The concept of Live Letters and devs actually communicating with us felt hmm... personal I guess. I never cared much about my character, the story or NPCs as much as I did in this game and I think it's really unique that they managed to create this kind of experience...

After EW, I've essentially been playing this game solo, all the people I'm familiar with are gone. My close friend whom I met in this game and known for years is considering quitting for good and I know how much we both love this game. DT was the first time I started contemplating leaving the game, every memory felt like it was tarnished, one way or another. Perhaps I haven't been around for long and perhaps the rose tinted glasses and the honeymoon phase of ShB wore off...

I've been pretty sad everytime they sloppily change something, I've been fearful of playing the MSQ and/or unlocking new content out of fear of eyestrain that I never had in any game before prior to the 7.0 Graphical Update.

Not that I'm missing much, the quality of the MSQ has taken a nose dive since post EW and honestly the only reason I don't skip (though I really want to) is to see it for myself.

All this could be meaningless, perhaps their target audience is the new green player who just has so much content to do and give em a few years and cycle out the old and bring in the new.

[Kranel_San]

The gates of WoW classic classic opens today. Perhaps an additional incentive to quit FFXIV