Dear Square Enix! Make the game harder, not easier!

[Jynxii]

SE wants to attract gamers from other MMO's and to do that they need to make this game casual friendly, its nothing about being loyalist its all about the numbers

So what happens when the 'hardk0re' players leave because it isn't challenging, and the 'casual' players leave because 'they've done everything' and now find the game boring?

Your logic is great, but anything that involves humans is fragile and full of variables. My 'example' is clearly a doomsayer, worse case scenario, but it is still a possible scenario. As an example, the pay to play versus free to play argument has many human facets. To cut a long story short, people feel more compelled to play, or continue playing a game if they are paying a monthly subscription, to get 'their value'. On the flip side, people can be offended and boycot the product with such practices.

It isn't about the company being loyal to it's subscribers (although it probably helps), but players need to form some kind of investment into something to continue using it. Do you honestly think every single player still playing World of Warcraft is doing it because they are thoroughly thrilled and moved by all the content? From my own circle of friends, I have those that still play the game even though they are bored with the content and 'over it'. It sounds silly if you look at it rationally, but humans aren't rational. They've invested up to 10 years of their life into this game, and just 'throwing that away' is a massive deal, because it is like a part of their identity. This in turn keeps them subscribed.

People and their irrational emotions are a major factor in the MMO scene, and companies hire psychologist specifically to hit these and get players deeply rooted into their games (or other products). A false sense of achievement is another great one that keeps people hooked.