Do you think cost is an acceptable excuse regarding not getting FFXIV content?

[Carin-Eri]

You didn't specify what sort of cost. Financial cost? Time cost? Productivity cost?

In terms of financial cost, not really, because SE clearly has billions of yen.

In terms of time cost, which is the specifically what led to the Forked Tower issue, yes, because you can't necessarily employ someone, train them and assign them a task if there is not enough time to do so.

That said, they should have predicted the issue and accounted for it earlier than they did. Unfortunately, they had only decided to make a Field Operation right before the expansion release due to Zepla's video, so they didn't actually have as much time to plan it as they did all their other content.

But one cannot help but wonder just how much of the "billions of yen" - much of which FFXIV generated - is allocated to FFXIV.

[SophiaDL]

Of course it is. You can wish for the moon and the stars but at the end of the day you have to be reasonable about what can actually be achieved given current resources.

The poor little indie company with their 2.43 billions revenue in 2024.

Understandable they couldnt afford forked tower normal really, with this small amount of money, people really need to be understanding that money is very tight. /s

[Veritas-Ancora]

We throw lots and lots of money at Square-Enix for this game.

Square-Enix, unfortunately, throws significantly less money at this game.

Final Fantasy XIV struggles with great developers in a piss-poor company that doesn't take its playerbase seriously.

[bic12]

Just quit. This game is not even worth $0, since you have to suffer the displeasure of actually playing it.

May I recommend Expedition 33

[TaleraRistain]

Okay this is NOT a defense of what they did at all, but "cost" does not just mean monetary. It's development resources, time, etc. As a software engineer, I took it with that sort of meaning.

And we know that CS3 has multiple projects now and it stands to reason they are having to make resource decisions. Or they are having those resource decisions made for them by those higher up. Developers don't always get to choose what to work on, unfortunately.

I do think whatever the case, someone with some sense needs to assess the amount of resources they are allowing for XIV and if they are taking developers or other resources away for other projects, reconsider that action. Because the effects are starting to become obvious.

[TaleraRistain]

May I recommend Expedition 33

Simply excellent game. My GOTY so far.

[Hallarem]

Simply excellent game. My GOTY so far.

Difference between a company that does it for the passion of gaming, telling a good story and giving a good experience, delivering ART

vs

Pleasing shareholders, carrying the rest of your company like some f'd up school project with 4 hangers on that don't do the work. "Timmy is dumb, so you're gonna have to support them." = The rest of their failed projects. 9 to 5 job mentality bare minimum effort spirit.

Yoshi P : "High fidelity graphics and turnbased dont work" oof
Yoshi P: "Do they even play their own game?" to Blizzard, OOF

Well, do you? Yoshi P, because you've reached the same point as them. "Well the game sucks, but its the game I chose to play so" Except WoW for it's suckiest times ALWAYS innovated, their story is hot garbage sure, but you aren't far behind on cementing that either.

I just sense 0 passion from their team, they always speak of the COMPANY. Not FF14. "Lets attack them with multiple projects, please look forward to it" You are supposed to be directing FINAL FANTASY 14. Just give the damn job to someone else Yoshi P if you aren't interested anymore. Dude 100% didn't play Dawntrail.

[TeresaFortell]

Truly a strange thing when considering this is not free-to-play. Sure they are very generous for new players allowing them to play through multiple expansions for free but this doesn't concern new content where the excuse is thrown at. That is for people actively paying to play.
In addition to this most people who haven't un-subbed are very dedicated and likely the people dropping $42 on a glamour or $30 for a cash shop mount. Yet that is not enough to prioritize making sure the company is budgeting right to give FFXIV ample maintenance?

You may feel like this dedicated fans are just granted and will always throw huge money at any new thing, but I have a suspicion that is not true.

For them to say that means they essentially do not care about the players who have been supporting them since 1.0 and 2.0. These early players have supported and saved the game from becoming non-existent. Saying that cost is the factor is a spit in their and everyone else's faces.

[hunter2]

Okay this is NOT a defense of what they did at all, but "cost" does not just mean monetary. It's development resources, time, etc. As a software engineer, I took it with that sort of meaning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A81DYZh6KaQ

[Atreus]

Under normal circumstances: yes

Considering we know that money made from XIV has been historically funneled into L projects: absolutely not