Has the dev team take accountability for the failure of Dawntrail?

[SkizzleAbernath]

A few patches in and almost a year and a half later the game remains in a stagnant state. Many players have pointed out the issues repeatedly, yet it feels like no one from the dev team is really listening.

I’ve noticed a pattern on the forums: certain individuals will defend anything the dev team releases, no matter how poorly received it actually is. That kind of blind loyalty doesn’t help the game. Pretending everything is fine when it clearly isn’t only delays meaningful change.

Right now, most players seem to log in only for the social aspect or to avoid losing their housing. Actual engagement with content feels lower than ever and towns are empty. We’ve been served the same “lasagna” for 12 years. For breakfast, for lunch, and dinner and people are finally speaking up.
But despite that, a loud minority continues to defend it because this time Yoshi-P sprinkled a bit more cheese on top of the same dish. Honestly, I can’t think of a better metaphor for how players have been treated in FFXIV for years.

When Square Enix continues to push commercial collaborations using FFXIV like the Schwarzkopf collab, the makeup line, or even last year’s FFXIV tent it honestly feels like a slap in the face to the players. The money we invest through our subscriptions should go toward improving the game, not unrelated marketing tie-ins nobody asked for(havent seen anything in any forums asking for the god tier make up and hairdo coloring).

And yes, I already know the typical replies:
“If you don’t like it, unsubscribe.”
“Take a break, play something else.”

But that logic doesn’t make sense. It’s like telling a Magic: The Gathering player to go play Yu-Gi-Oh until the next Magic set releases. If I’m investing my time and money into FFXIV, the game should provide meaningful content for the jobs I actually play. The “go play another job” argument doesn’t hold up when most players only main two or three jobs and have dedicated years mastering them. Levling another job in order to have something to do is a really bad arguement.

What makes things worse is the lack of accountability or even an apology for Dawntrail’s problems. And honestly, seeing Yoshi-P attending conventions and public events while the game continues to decline doesn’t send a great message of leadership, at least in my opinion. Sure meeting fans is great but it doesn't change the games current state.

I could go on, but these are my current observations and I know many long-time players feel the same.