Yoshi-P on FFXIV: What went wrong?

[Jiro]

We're all aware of the fact that Final Fantasy XIV bombed at release. It was catastrophic, up there with the crash caused by The Spirits Within. In fact, Naoki Yoshida says that another flop like it would probably destroy the company. With a mountain of pressure on Yoshida, it's comforting to see the constant updates through the Letters from the Producer as well as the new dev blog for A Realm Reborn. These updates are allaying fears and showing fans that the game is in good hands.

So what went wrong the first time? Yoshida puts it down to the lack of vision shown by the original development team. Their goal to just create a game that was different to Final Fantasy XI was a misstep, and one which put the team in a bad position. Despite the poor reception Final Fantasy XIV received during Beta testing, the game was pushed through to be released on time. All in all, it was a bit of a mess.

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With Yoshida at the helm, a second catastrophe will easily be avoided.

Yoshida says he approached A Realm Reborn differently, mimicking the strategy used by the original FFXI development team. Their goal was to take the successful MMORPG EverQuest and infuse it with Final Fantasy elements, creating a unique blend. And judging from the success of the game, I'd say it worked. Yoshida wants to follow this same approach, as well as accounting for the rise in MMO standards since FFXI was released.

“Unless you are a genius, you cannot make something completely new from nothing,” he says. It's a very astute observation, and one which has seen Yoshida and his team completely revitalise the game in just 16 months. Not only is Alpha testing for A Realm Reborn going well, but the team also managed to improve the wreckage they were left with, and finishing up with an impressive finale.

All in all, it looks like we'll be seeing more promise from Yoshida and his team as testing continues. There's little doubt he'll be listening to the feedback from the fans.

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We're looking forward to the beauty of A Realm Reborn, rising up from the ashes of the original.

[Source: Kotaku]

[Del Murder]

Sounds encouraging. I hope they learned their lesson and a disaster like that won't happen again.