FFXI coming to an end

[Aerith's Knight]

I believe I read a SE press release somewhere where they said they would close down the FFXI servers by the time FFXIV comes out.

Now assuming that this correct, would that upset any of you? I only played for a few months (not good at MMO's, plus I hated the song in the beginning city), but after spending so much time on it, I guess I wouldn't be surprised if any of you were irked.

Go on, let it all out.

[Yeargdribble]

It's unlikely in all honesty. As long as it's making them money they will keep it running. Considering the amount of plans they have (slowly increasing the cap to 99 staring with 85 in June) it's unlikely that they will shut the game down by the end of the year.

I guess I'd be disappointed, but not really that upset or angry. Anyone who goes into an MMO not realizing that ultimately their work will be for moot when the servers go offline or when they quit have a bigger problem.



I think that now you can at least say that FFXI is on the way to a very slow death, but it's probably still got several years. Look at the lifespans of other MMOs as popular as FFXI and even ones that aren't. MMOs don't die quickly and beyond a certain point upkeep on servers is relatively cheap and even new content isn't that expensive. It's hugely profitable as long as there's a modicum of interest and considering how hardcore the FFXI community is there's certain to be plenty of people around for a good while.

[Jessweeee♪]

I think there will probably be a short spike of new players around that time that they would want to take advantage of!

[Mirage]

I don't think MS has got anything to do with the FF11 servers, so I'm not sure what they would be thinking of doing to them.

SE has got planned content for at least another year (this info was released in january or february this year), and FF14 is scheduled to be released this year as well, which means a definite overlap if things go as they plan. I also think it's a pretty bad idea to shut down the game immediately after they release the last bit of content, because then people won't even be able to finish it before it's too late, and the development of said content would have been a waste of money for SE.

[Aerith's Knight]

I don't think MS has got anything to do with the FF11 servers, so I'm not sure what they would be thinking of doing to them.

Sorry, I meant SE, you're totally right. And you're right, it would be wasteful to lose content.

But I think people underestimate how much it costs to keep servers running. I mean, 10% of WoW membership fees goes directly to server maintenance. And that is a lot of money, considering the amount of members.

Do people still play a lot, or has it come down to a select few, with all the noobs gone?

[Mirage]

I'm pretty sure there are quite a few hundred thousands of active subscribers.

[Flying Mullet]

Everquest is still running strong, especially after Everquest 2 came out so I don't see them shutting down FFXI just because FFXIV came out. Just like Yeargdribble said, as long as FFXI is making money they'll keep supporting it.

[Aerith's Knight]

Seems SE feels the same: Don't Worry About Final Fantasy XI Just Yet - final fantasy XI - Kotaku

Well, that wraps this up, doesn't it?

[Yeargdribble]

But I think people underestimate how much it costs to keep servers running. I mean, 10% of WoW membership fees goes directly to server maintenance. And that is a lot of money, considering the amount of members.

Obviously the topic is resolved, but let me remind you that 10% of 11 million is a big number, but it's still 10% meaning the other 90% can be put into pockets or spent on developing content.

For FFXI it maybe 10% and a smaller 10%, but it's still 10%. That means that out of every $13 bucks, they are still getting $11.70 as profit to do with as they see fit. Therefore, even if servers cost 10%, 10% is a ridiculously small chunk of the pie. It doesn't matter how big the actually number is.

For SE assuming there are still roughly 500,000 players, they are making over half a million dollars every month after server costs. Not bad.

[Del Murder]

They are releasing content through the end of this year, including brand new zones and raising the level cap after not doing so for like...5 years. That content needs time to be enjoyed before they call it quits. I'd say at least 2 more years left in this game.

And as many have said it's making money so why wouldn't they continue it. For all they know FFXIV could be a huge flop and people start coming back. Highly unlikely but there will be some people who will prefer FFXI or like to play both.

[Ouch!]

Because of the announcement of all the new content, I'm planning to play both FFXIV and FFXI for at least long enough for FFXIV to eclipse FFXI in terms of my interest (given how much I love FFXI, that could be a while).

[Del Murder]

I ain't paying 30 bucks a month for online video games so it's one or the other for me.

[qwertysaur]

Every game eventually will end. Then you start to play another. (I needed something to say in this forum, but I don't play XI so I was at a loss for words here D: )

[Del Murder]

All good things come to an end, like my tenure on staff.

[Yeargdribble]

All good things come to an end, like my tenure on staff.

Oh how I miss you Crystal Pepsi and Nestle's Alpine White bars.