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Final Fantasy XI Nears EverQuest In Subscriber Numbers

Posted by simoniker on from the the-heat-is-on dept.

Thanks to 1UP for the news that Square Enix has announced a total of 430,000 subscribers have signed up worldwide with PlayOnline, as the online subscription service "...which powers Square's MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, broke through the 400,000 user mark approximately 18 months after its Japanese debut in May 2002." According to the reports, the recent PC release of FFXI in the U.S. has "...provided a significant boost to the service's user base. Square Enix said it has shipped around 200,000 copies of the PC version to the US market already, and picked up around 100,000 new subscribers so far." More subscriptions are likely when the Final Fantasy XI-bundled PlayStation 2 hard drive launches in the U.S. next March, possibly taking FFXI over EverQuest's total of nearly 500,000 subscribers. The company's mid-term results also provided information on sales of their games, with Final Fantasy Tactics Advance a particular sales highlight in the U.S.

1 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. A very good game by WapoStyle · · Score: 5, Interesting
    This game might just end up being the biggest online RPG for a long time to come. I've never played Everquest but online games I have played are "Earth and Beyond" and "Star Wars Galaxies" So far Final Fantasy XI is my favorite by a long shot. It's actually, fun?! Yeah, this is the first online game I've played that's more fun than it is work.

    Downtime seems pretty low so far. One thing I hated in Galaxies was the permanent damage to your character unless you found another player to heal you. Very lame. In this game I can just hit the heal button and wait a few minutes and I'm good as new.

    Worst part about this game is definatly the controls. You can tell it was made for the PS2 controller. Luckily you can pick up a USB adapter for the Dual Shock 2 for under $20. It even supports the rumble if your into vibrating electronics...

    Damn, I sound like an advertisement. Oh well, I'm really enjoying this game. Well, besides the couple hours it takes to install. Don't count on playing it the day you pick it up if you get it after work.