[karari]

Apparently a Senior Member of SquareEnix posted on his blog that FFXI will end at years end as we make the switch over to FFXIV.

EDIT - Image taken down.

His blog has since been taken down. Any thoughts?

This post has been edited by karari: Feb 18, 2010 - 2:57 PM

[Ch1efer]

I read this on another site too.

Quote

A senior Square Enix employee is being reported as publically saying that Final Fantasy XI will terminate in 2010, to be replaced by Final Fantasy XIV.

The remark was apparently made by one of Square Enix’s top HR people at the “Square Enix Recruiting Seminar 2011,” and duly reported on a personal blog by an attendee:



“I think some amongst you will know, but FF11 started in 2002 … Well, this year it’ll end and the stage will shift to FF14.”
The witness suspects the remark was inadvertent, but it is adamant it was made. Oddly, first the article and then the entire site which reported the remark were taken down shortly after.

Square Enix has previously assured players that any shutdown of the game would be announced a year in advance, so just what is going on is not clear.

A tweet from Square Enix’s CEO also denies the rumour, saying “that’d be troubling,” although this apparent rebuttal is rather short on details, such as whether the remarks were actually made and whether there is anything to them…

In any case, with the sequel nearing release and the original game increasingly showing its age, the day of any shutdown must be close at hand, and it seems pertinent that one of 2ch’s threads on the subject is entitled “How many people will commit suicide when FF11 ends?”

I personally wont be affected by it, but I still think it is a rumor. But if it is true, just means they can further concentrate on XIV.

[pogiman]

I can see SE keeping FFXI running for a few months once FFXIV comes out just to give people time to buy the new game. Unlike other video games Online games require continual costs for the company so I can't see SE keeping both games running once the population of players in FFXI shrinks to only a few players.

[Momotaru]

So much for the repeated claims that they'll continue to support XI..

I think it will end within a year of XIV, but not immediately in its wake.

[Cid]

I pretty sure that as in most things, the $$$ will be the determining factor.

As long as FFXI is turning a profit (collecting more subscription fees than Squenix spends maintaining the game) they will keep it running.
That being said, the numbers certainly seem to be dwindling in FFXI as it is and once FFXIV comes out, that will certainly cut into the remaining subscribers and spell the end of FFXI.

They probably anticipate this and are preparing for the inevitable, but they don't want to admit it just in case a miracle happens.

[beoulve]

They should at least finish it! As far as I'm aware Wings of Goddess expansion still isn't finished to this date.

And this is leaning me towards not coming back, had a friend that wanted me to come back and play. lol

This post has been edited by beoulve: Feb 20, 2010 - 6:22 AM

[Eorzea]

According to a Twitter post made by Yoichi Wada, these rumors are false. Kotaku also reported on it in a recent article, so I don't think we have anything to worry about yet.

[Apricoth]

I cannot imagine SE double talking on this matter - they have said several times they will continue to support FFXI as long as the interest is there. I can see servers being eliminated as the populations are condensed together. I have a feeling it will be around for quite some time.

[Hugbees]

Apricoth, on Feb 20, 2010 - 10:25 AM, said:

I cannot imagine SE double talking on this matter - they have said several times they will continue to support FFXI as long as the interest is there. I can see servers being eliminated as the populations are condensed together. I have a feeling it will be around for quite some time.

It's hard to say what will happen with FFXI. I predict that FFXI will stay alive for the first few months but slowly people will migrate over to FF14 it will eventually die off. I think they'd have to shut down FFXI if FF14 starts picking up to afford the cost of more servers, expansion development, and full maintenance to keep the game alive.

[Eorzea]

I don't think FFXI will die for many years to come (though that's obviously my own personal opinion). Reason being, they can always merge servers as the population begins to dwindle (thus reducing server maintenance fees and maintaining a profit). I think there are a lot of people who won't be playing FFXIV due to growing up and now having full-time jobs/families/etc. These people will likely prefer to stay with FFXI as opposed to starting over in FFXIV.

Perhaps I'm completely off the mark, but there are plenty of MMORPGs that continue to run/maintain activity well past their primes. I don't see why FFXI will/should be any different.

[Momotaru]

It's going to be a business decision.

The question is, will they wring every last dollar they can out of FFXI, and continue hosting the servers for some time to come, or will they give FFXI players a decisive shove into FFXIV by shutting the servers down sooner?

The latter would only make sense if they would be getting more out of the player.. which may be the case if they have additional BS for one to purchase with real dollars, as the subscription fees will probably be the same as XI.

Now that I say that 'out loud', I realize it's unlikely. XIV will cost more. You can count on it. If XI is 12 or 13, XIV will be 15 or 16.

Haha, XI 12 13 XIV 15 16. Delightful!

[Bewoulf]

All I can say is the day FFXI finally gets shut down, I might be sad. It doesn't matter whether or not I'm playing FFXI. I've quit and come back to FFXI at least 3 times now. The great thing is that I can always revisit the game when I want. FFXI will always be near and dear. I've played several other MMOs and FFXI is what I always compare them all to. Thinking about this is the only time I agree with people who wanted FFXI to be called FF online. It doesn't feel right for the series if I can't go revisit it any time I want, unlike all the other game in the series (to which I have at least ONE console that will play it).

Not to mention how I might want to go revisit Vana'diel and won't be able to.

[lily]

although many players like FFXI ,new game FF14 maybe will interesting and seem to be more attractive.we cant control if FFXI will be ended or not,what we can only do is hope SE will resume it !

[Wanderlustfully]

I believe FFXI will be around for quite a while.

Granted, the population does seem to dwindle. But Square-Enix can just merge servers again to cut down costs. Plus, it hasn't even really been ample time for the current players to enjoy the newly released updates. I myself have quit middle of last year, but I still converse with friends that still play. And from what I understand, the level cap of 99 still isn't implemented yet?

Also, with FFXI being on PC, PS2, Xbox360, and sometimes even early PS3's, switching to a game that's only on two of those consoles may cut down on the initial crowd for FFXIV. Plus, there's a lot elitest/completionists left on FFXI that want to get that one last piece of armor, or fully upgraded weapon, or last missions, etc. And they themselves may see FFXIV's release as a way to finally get that. Cutting out the die-hard fans (or should I say fanatics?), and then bunching them together with the server merging, you've got a lot of determined people. At least in theory.

Looking at some other MMORPG's, and how they're -still- going, even today. (By the way, are the original Diablo 1 servers still active? lol) As many have stated, it's a business decision. Square-Enix won't keep FFXI going, if there's no money to be had. But I feel the players still with it today, are going to keep on playing for some time to come. And that reasoning alone will keep it going. However, I don't believe anymore brainstorming and expansions will be in the future. I believe all that will be saved for FFXIV. Square-Enix will just let FFXI ride its existence out as long as possible. And why shouldn't they, if they're making money and people are content? Not to mention catering to a whole new audience of old pro's and a newer generation of gamers looking to FFXIV as their first MMO. A little of the old, with a little of the new.

Vana'diel will be there for quite some time to come, in this gamer's opinion. But the world of Eorzea is on the horizon. It's beyond Vana'diel, and the future for a lot of us. I personally thank Square-Enix for all the friends and others that I've met on my adventures within FFXI, and the new ones I'm going to meet in FFXIV. Hope to see some of you in the future!

[Eorzea]

Great post, Wanderlustfully. And welcome to the site/forum.

Yeah, I think they will start by raising to the cap to level 80 first and then going from there. I don't really know the reason(s) for this, however. I personally feel that raising the cap past 75 is going to completely ruin the game mechanics of Final Fantasy XI, but I hope I'm wrong. I'm sure Squenix has given their decision a lot of thought.

Let's hope it so, anyway. I'm sure they would hate for these changes to drive people away as opposed to keep them around.