Less Important Than FFXIV's Longevity Is Its Subscription Count
Hearing the director and producer of FFXIV remark on not being especially upset by the game's growing rate seems a little odd, but it's also a microcosmic sign of the larger strategy used by the production crew. From exciting new releases cutting into long-time player subscriptions from older titles before the enthusiasm fades down and people move back to their "home" game, the history of MMORPGs has demonstrated that the genre can vary rather a lot.
Over the past few years, FFXIV has expanded rapidly; Yoshida-san was clear about his priorities: maintaining excellent game quality and making sure players feel their needs and concerns are being handled. Not being influenced by changes in FFXIV Subscriber Count means the team won't act impulsively during a bad phase that might more significantly impact the long-term viability of the MMORPG. In a genre with games spanning real decades, an emphasis on the larger future makes more sense than any hasty responses to limited time spans.
Naoki Yoshida of FFXIV: "I'm Not That Particular On Subscriber Numbers"
Though a seasoned game developer, Naoki Yoshida, the director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, is also familiar with the weight of expectation ten years into the rebirth of one of the most powerful and well-known MMORPGs. Yoshida was open in a recent interview with Screen Rant during the FFXIV Dawntrail media tour about how much subscriber and player count counts to the health of the live service title.
As we spoke about what was on show at the FFXIV Dawntrail media tour, we asked Yoshida-san about the tremendous expansion of the game over the past few iterations. According to Yoshida, the epidemic—where many individuals utilized the MMORPG to remain in touch to friends and relatives—was responsible for some of the extreme rise in users. That said, Yoshida-san thinks it would be useless to concentrate too much on player count in FFXIV, independent of what impacts it:
An Outlook on FFXIV's Future
Later on, Yoshida-san would say that his main concerns are making sure "the players are satisfied" and concentrating on designing a game experience they wish to actively return to. Though the competition is strong and the player base is only so small, thanks to the ongoing excellence of FFXIV Yoshida-san and the rest of the team can easily take while promising long-time players that the future is in excellent hands. It is a luxury not many games honestly have.
About the future of FFXIV, cultural portrayals in Dawntrail, and more, Screen Rant spoke with Naoki Yoshida, sometimes known as Yoshi-P.
The Dawntrak Media Tour
We asked Yoshida-san about the tremendous expansion of the game during the previous three expansions while talking about what was on show during the FFXIV Dawntrail media tour. According to Yoshida, the epidemic—where many individuals utilized the MMORPG to remain in touch to friends and relatives—was responsible for some of the extreme rise in users.
Screen Rant has discussed the future of FFXIV, cultural depictions in Dawntrail, and more with Naoki Yoshida—also known as Yoshi-P. As the next phase of the game is under development, the game seems to have bright future.
From a Business Point of View
That said, Yoshida-san thinks it would be useless to concentrate too much on player count in FFXIV, independent of what affects it:
Rant for the screen: Just wondering what the expectation is for Dawntrail's athlete count. Do you still envision it developing as explosively as the other expansions have? Alternatively do you really expect it to fade and perhaps concentrate more on the Final Fantasy 14 players who are already committed?
Na Osaka Yoshida: From a business standpoint, then, this might not be the ideal response—or even from a board of Square Enix one. I am not particularly exact about Subscriber Counts specifically though. All of these aspects for an MMORPG are somewhat challenging, especially trying to sustain output, longevity, and survival of the game. It won't work for a long-term view if I am impacted by how the player counts at that particular instant vary or if I get thrilled or depressed with the variations in the numbers.
