Final Fantasy XIV Player Populations At Death’s Door
- Categories: Games, News
- Date: Mar 7, 2011 11:01 JST
- Tags: Comparison, Final Fantasy, Marketing, MMORPG, PC Gaming, PS3, Square Enix, Statistics
Final Fantasy XIV still clings to life, although – with its meagre player populations now a mere third or less of its peak – for how much longer is a matter of some quite unfriendly speculation.
Square Enix eventually responded to the humiliating PR disaster of its server population collapse by ceasing to make server populations public, however this did not stop the remaining players from conducting their own unofficial population estimates.
The main method used appears to be using specially designed tools to count the number of player characters showing any change each day, using the public player database.
This has given rise to fairly complete estimates for server populations in lieu of the official ones.
The most recent comprehensive piece of research is the following chart for the last day of January – showing from left to right, the server, the server population as a percentage of Cornelia (the benchmark server), the estimated active daily players, and the estimated number of alt or mule characters (57% of the total):
This suggests an estimated active daily unique player population of only 17,776.
The total active character figure of 31,150 can safely be ignored as the last official unique player count was 22,000, back in November (the same day saw Cornelia counted at 4019 using the unofficial method) – with players reporting virtually deserted servers, it is safe to say the collapse reflected in the numbers is real.
More recent statistics only exist for Cornelia – although some simple calculations allow an estimate of the current population to be arrived at; for the last week of January the average was 2086, and for the most recent week of March the figure is 1850.
This 12% decrease suggests the total active population has decreased somewhat to 15,500 or so – a mere third of the peak numbers reported.
This week also saw the release of a patch which made enemies bigger – sadly for Square Enix it seems not to have had the same effect on player numbers.
With player numbers now less than those of a minor browser game, it seems unlikely even the combined effects of making the game F2P and releasing an upgraded PS3 version will do anything but delay the inevitable for a game whose only accolade is being proclaimed the most disappointing game of 2010.
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Sucks for them.
Sad but true
I have no idea why they decided to make the gameplay so slow. Just because the packaging sparkles doesnt mean you can just scrap the gameplay...
The number one reason to play the game from S-E's player survey was "graphics."
And where is that so awaited breakeven? 'Guess it's not happening.
With no subscription fees yet of course they're nowhere near breaking even.
I feel sorry for all those poor horsebirds with nobody to look after them...
Then make a Tomagotsi like game.
sure that the monster got bigger? maybe that character just got smaller.
no one thinks about the chocopos
SE's should close this shit already.
What horsebirds? They still haven't even been implemented yet. Hard to feel sorry for something that doesn't exist. :p
so its like that eh square enix? >_>
have fun with your failing fantasies then faggots :V
wow, you felt like you bad to post that twice? sad..
Must be Evony and that "Boob Champion Achievement"
It's the perfect game for anyone who loves enormous tit- I mean, cities...
SE is doomed!!!
The thing that gets me is that FFXI was not that bad a game.
They could have farmed it for popular ideas during the development of XIV.
Now that they've let things get this far off track, I don't see how they can save XIV without a total rebuild and an ad campaign to practically sell it as a new product.
Chances are they won't even bother.
This is what happens when you let Chinese make your game.
Why the hell would anyone outsource a game to other countries? A gaming company makes the game themselves, while the other countries may make the actual discs and boxes for that game.
Well, tell that the Square Enix. They freaking found Horse birds in Chinese and eveyr last part of the quality has been noted to be China style. So yeah, this game is outsourced alright.
Fix your grammar, then we'll talk.
If by China quality you mean console MMO quality, then sure.
China + Quality = Do Not Match
No I mean China and any Quality in general do not match.
quality / china = undefined
you clearly have no idea how the gaming industry works... hell, any industry does.
Then again, you're probably 12, so it's ok.
I know what I need to know about certain industries and also do not have to attack the actual person in an argument for example saying I am a child. When somebody makes the game, their OWN workers program the game game while the countries they outsource work to make the product, also known as discs, boxes, manuals, etc. Its the same for the clothing industry, the main designer makes the prototype, it becomes well acclaimed, and then outsourced to another country to make the product or mass produce it; thats the lesson for today. Hopr you learned something.
He probably won't learn anything because he's actually 12 years old. You used too many big ords for his small brain to understand.
@15:54
Don't get into arguments with the trollfags. There is nothing to win against such petty people.
What they say about the outsourcing is true through. Publishers can quite easily and frequently outsource actual development to an independent game development studio, especially when their own studios are busy with the mainline IPs of the company.
I can say the same thing about outsourcing game development to a UK software house. Hint: Devil May Cry.
And Last Remnant is not a particular good game, and it's made by Japanese, and which makes use of the Unreal 3 engine. To me the only good Japanese game company is Nintendo which still makes top quality games.
Shut up fanboy. Nintendo makes some quality games, but there are many great Japanese developers, and many of them produce better games than Nintendo.
I can say the same about sourcing to UK software house for example. You know no-one likes the upcoming Devil May Cry by Ninja Theory.
Perhaps Square Enix should have outsourced their game to a well-known South-Korean game developer who has way more experience in MMO games than those Chinese companies.
This may be a blessing in disguise.
Squeenix is bleeding money and prestige from this FF 14 disaster. When the stockholder's meeting comes up, they will have to come up with a sure-fire way to make up lost money and save the fucking company.
Now what would be a guaranteed blockbuster hit for Squeenix? That's right, PS3 HD FF7 Remake. They remade 3 and 4 from the ground up, and have released updated/sequel versions of 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, and 12.
FF14 is an unmitigated disaster, but it is a godsend for those salivating for a true FF7 remake.
Fuck that. Why the hell would anyone want Squeenix to run the FF7 legacy into the ground further? Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core, and Advent Children were bad enough. Just leave the goddamn game alone already.
The original movie of AC was an confusion of wandering plot holes; that I can agree with. But when I picked up the Blu-Ray "Complete" and sat through it again, dots where connected and everything ran much smoother. It was a complete movie that fittingly concluded the story of FFVII~
You know what concluded the story of FF7 even better? FF7.
The original release of Advent Children clearly demonstrates what happens to Final Fantasy plots when Kato and Matsuno aren't there to rewrite them into something actually good.
Because the remakes also sold well and a remastered FFVII is what everyone is asking for? Hello? Common sense here. Hell a PSP remake in the style of Crisis core would be every FF fans' dream.
Um, sorry dude, but I've been a FF fan since FF2/4 and I can honestly say that an FF7 remake is absolutely not my dream. There may be a small group of people who are slavering away at the prospect of an FF7 remake, but you are not in the majority by any means.
Quite the opposite I think. Like the super hardcore fans who don't want ff14 to "sell out" (and in the process keep it unplayably bad), there are these old school assholes who think anything Square's made after 1996 is bad. FF7 is still by far the most popular FF game, and although it's trendy on the internet to say that it sucks, that's more hipster-ish "FF7 made the series popular, so now it sucks" kind of mentality.
Now I really enjoyed Square games back in the day before they merged with Enix, but I also realize that the game industry has changed since then. If they do remake FF7, they'll have to update it in some way besides the graphics and adding voice acting. With their recent track record, I'm not sure I trust them to do it terribly well. However, they are at least trying to keep things fresh, more than can be said for other JRPG companies this generation.
Like hell it would be. Crisis Core was shit.
I'd rather masturbate with sandpaper than see a FF7 remake come out.
That said, a lot of people seem to want it, and it would probably sell very well.
surely you jest because CC was awesome and AC was pretty good. FF7 remake would sell like hotcakes.
I think it's funny that all the people that want a FF7 remake claim they are the majority, and all the people that don't want a FF7 also claim that they are the majority, when unless someone can somehow take a poll of every FF fan, it's impossible to know which is the majority. I've seen endless boards both begging for and condemning the remake. It seems pretty even to me actually, and out of the people I know, the only ones who don't want the remake tend to despise any remake of anything. If anyone can't stand the remake, they don't have to play it lmao. Personally, I don't care anymore. I've been let down too many times by the horrible company these fan favorite's merged into. An it all started with unlimited saga for me. First rpg I ever returned in the same day lmao
FF fan since the very first (but why would that matter?), and I'd love an FF7 remake. But it's okay cause since I've been with it longer, I'm the majority, right?
Eh, it's called the vocal minority. Kind of like how every fanboy on the internet claims that Tales is the greatest series of all time and if only namco would localize Tales of Generica we'd all see what a great series it is, nevermind how bad all the past games were.
I would be happy for FF6, FF8 and FF9 remakes. Its a shame they're all shadowed by FF7. (not saying its bad, but still)
ff8 and ff9 still look pretty good graphically even compared to many games this generation, 7 or 6 werent my favourite ffs but if any of the series could use a remake i would say they would be more deserving.
Ummm dude. 1997 called. They're sick and tired of you, so feel free to join us in the year 2011. The people pissing their pants, afraid SE will butcher FF7 with a remake need to get their heads out of their asses and accept the truth. Games get remakes, spinoffs, side stories all the time.
To usagi, go ahead and jerk one off with your sandpaper. Meanwhile, ill be enjoying my remake of FF7.
How about more FF tactics games? I dont mean like Tactics Advanced and A2, no that they were all that bad, but the original was so much better. Also, Square enix does make good games. Take for instance FF Dissidia, beat the crap out of the characters you hate with the characters you love :D in a fairly interesting fighter game. Also the kingdom hearts series games will probably get some work and we may see the mainstream ones more than once every couple years. Also, I thought the FF7 offshooots were pretty decent overall, and added a lot more interesting information to the FF7 universe, coupled with a decent storyline.
Crisis Core was a completely solid game. Not sure wtf you're whining about. DoC and AC were good enough.
Fuck No.
Just about every remake SE has done has been vastly inferior to the original games. An FF7 remake is the last thing fans want.
Square has ruined the FF and KH names beyond salvaging. The only thing it has left is the Chrono series.
SE is the worst game developer this generation. Fail china MMO, no KH sequel and a compilation of their XIII failure. I'm happy to see SE crash and burn if it doesn't learn that remakes and spinoffs can't be the meat of your releases. If they only would make games again, all would be good.
It's easier to change the president/CEO, Yoichi Wada, causes all these miseries for Square Enix. He has full responsibilities for all the failures of the company.
Agreed that it's largely Wada's fault. Since he took over the company has been less about quality IPs like it was before the merger, and more about bastardized spinoffs on portables. The KH series is a great example, a great strong franchise that had the power of its brand ruined by endless portable spinoffs instead of a proper continuation of the series. Even if they make a KH3, there's so much that's been added to a ridiculously convoluted canon that only a fraction of the players have tried, so most people will probably be lost, and many have lost interest since it's been 5 years now.
Idiotic nationalist speculation based on misinformation aside, you're absolutely right, they need to get back to making games, and making their own games instead of just trying to buy their way back into the western market by gobbling up western developers.
Do you like doo doo? Because that's what's coming out of your mouth right now. I suppose SE should hire your monkey ass because you apparently seem to know how to run the business better than them.
I don't know about screwing up Final Fantasy right off the bat... FF12 I thought would be an excellent game, but it seemed like they changed writing staff during production - the game map was clearly meant for an open-ended game with a clear start and finish but no clear way of getting there, but they fitted it with a complete failure of a storyline. 13 was so bad I couldn't play past the first few hours. It's like they were going to do well, then ditched the good plan for a hackneyed joke.
On the other hand, the games that they only publish rather than make themselves are rather good - the only thing I dislike about the recent Dragon Quest games are the TERRIBLE translation jobs they were given that completely ignore the already established reputation of the Dragon Warrior games (same series, but from before Enix merged with Square). Valkyrie Profile was very well done as well, and then there's Star Ocean... which I have yet to play, so I won't comment on its worth.
I prefer they just fire Wada ...
Didn't somebody from SE once come out and say that an FF7 HD remake was impossible? Something about not having the capacity or ability to store all the necessary town/city data, as seen with FF13. Honestly, it seems like HD for gaming is more of a curse than a blessing, or at least a double-edged sword.