Square Enix, a Japanese video game company that is well-known for their Final Fantasy series, has recently announced that they will be re-releasing the original version of Final Fantasy XI. This release is significant because it will allow players to play the game in its original form, which was released in 2002. The FFXI story covers how this decision came about and what the future may hold for the game.
Square Enix is one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world. It has been around since 1997 and is still going strong today. This blog will tell you a story about a player from FFXI’s past.
Hi
r/mmorpg. I came to you today as a long-time FFXI player who has nearly religiously played and spent $13-17 for the game since 2003, and my aim is to persuade you that Square Enix is a bad business that needs to be publicly shamed.
Let’s start with some history, or rather, perceptions of history; if you’re not interested, skip to the bold. From 2003 until about 2008, Final Fantasy XI was regarded as one of the most popular MMOs on the market, providing a radically different gameplay experience than its primary rival (World of Warcraft), as well as the option to play on console. In comparison to now, there was a very different concept of community back then, and the English-speaking playerbase was mostly ignored by the Japanese creators.
Around 2009, the announcement of FF14, which you all like, was made as a means to provide us with a more up-to-date online experience to satisfy our final fantasy requirements. The fanbase for Final Fantasy XI was split, with some choosing to move to a World of Warcraft-style game and others opting to stick with what they knew after trying other options and not finding what they were searching for. But one question remained: what would happen to Final Fantasy XI?
This was a difficult question to answer. FFXI was obviously a financial success, since it maintained a respectable subscription base while losing a lot of development to FF14. Add-on scenarios (essentially just some cutscenes and a short faceroll battle for 1 piece of specialized gear) and Abyssea, which increased the level limit to 99 from 75 before, and clearly out-dated all equipment, got off to a rough start. This has never happened before in FFXI; the level limit had stayed constant throughout all of the expansions; please keep this in mind. We were given rehashed zones with families of monsters spread across them with Abyssea, and to the best of my knowledge, very few(a handful) sprites with this content patch. Many players left during this period of equipment renewal. Even for the most dedicated grinder, obtaining a single piece of equipment in Final Fantasy XI might take years; many players developed emotional ties to their gear, and the continuous gear replacement cycle was not something FFXI players were accustomed to. All of this, along with SE’s lack of communication and their new MMO occupying the majority of their time, left gamers of the old MMO feeling abandoned.
Players were nevertheless pleased to rejoice over the notion of new zones(areas) in Seekers of Adoulin, which was believed to be something SE had back pocketed and put out as a means to recover some of the losses from FF14 1.0. There are new creatures! There are new quests! New instances (dungeons) have been added! FFXI seemed to be alive and well, and Adoulin came as a pleasant surprise to many. In 2007, the Wings of the Goddess expansion (WOTG) was published. In 2013, SOA (seekers of adoulin) was formed. 6 years old. Wrath of the Lich King (2008), Cataclysm (2010), Mists of Pandaria (2012), and Warlords of Draenor (2014), for example, were all launched around the same period. Regardless, it was wonderful to watch the elderly lady receive some new activities after years of being bored.
Isn’t this history lesson going a little longer than you expected? What has occurred since 2013? Let me tell you something.
Nothing.
There are no new zones, just ones that have been rehashed.
There are no new gangs, just ones that have been rehashed.
There are no additional expansions planned.
There isn’t any good news on the horizon.
How much do I have to pay to play this game? It’s still $17. (For clarification, they charge for extra inventory, which is required if you play more than one job(class); nevertheless, the basic game remains at $13).
Isn’t it obvious that I’m being theatrical now? Is there nothing new since 2013? That is certainly an exaggeration. FFXI is still receiving material, as I’m sure some people would point out, but what is it? Let’s get started.
Old FFXI players should conceive of Dynamis-D as Dynamis scaled up to current item levels.
Reisenjima/Escha – You’ve got me on this one; this is definitely “new stuff” in rehashed zones with the same rehashed gangs, and it’s a novel idea. This material was published in 2015, when SE stated they would no longer be updating Final Fantasy XI. They have subsequently retracted their statement, charging the same $ amount and providing no concrete information regarding future intentions.
I’m not sure why I’m publishing this. What am I gaining by slamming an independent game developer?
That is an excellent question. In this day and age of cancellation, I believe this one needs a little more attention, because the community is just too tiny to make a difference without some assistance. It is unethical for a gaming business to continue to charge ABOVE the industry norm for a game with no full-time devs and only part-time moderation/community labor, as they have acknowledged (split with ff14 staffers). This isn’t simply a symptom of the epidemic; it’s also a case of willful indifference. What they’re doing here is insulting to users and gamers, and it should be a cause for concern for anybody who puts time or money into other online projects, since they may be abandoned without warning or cost recovery. I’m expecting considerable reaction from any FFXI fans who happen to stumble upon this sub; many of them still like the game. You are free to do any necessary research on your own.
I realize how much you all love Final Fantasy 14, and I hope you can continue to do so without this occurring.
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