I guess it goes with the current trend over at Allakhazam of people starting a thread about the game dying once every frew hours. :rolleyes2

I'm guessing the game has quite a bit of life really. There are still new players joining and server consolidation doesn't seem like it will be happening any time soon. I think FFXI will last much longer than most expect. The game may not be the most popular MMORPG out there, but I think the life of other successful MMORPGs (UO, EQ) says a lot about how long FFXI will last. When/if private servers become an option, that will just drag the game on into infinitum.

Also, FFXI has the benefit of being a FF game. Many people who play the FF series complained about how FFXI would be a hole in their series, though, if it were on a private server and espcially if that server were free, I think a lot of people miight get into it just to figure out what it was all about.