Slashdot Mirror
Final Fantasy XI Nears EverQuest In Subscriber Numbers
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.
I've certianly been spoiled by this game... after dismal launches such as SWG, Shadowbane. Playing a game that has already been tested and stablized in other market I don't think I could go back to a game just starting fresh. Not having to worry about the tons of missed bugs, people whining about class balance, server outages and what not.
"I am a kernel in the linux army"
i hate to tell you but not everyone that buys the box plays the game for longer then the free month. i beta tested anarchy online, purchased the box and had stopped playing after 8 weeks. so saying they currently have 400k subscribers from japan and 100k boxes sold equalling 430k subscribes sounds like a decent estimate. what they basically are saying is that 70% of the people buying the boxed game will most likely not continue for longer then 1 month worth of play. MMORPG is not for everyone.
It also helps that FF:XI is really, really good. The name probably moved a lot of boxes, but the game play will keep the massess paying $13/month for years to come.
Actually I think the name helps at first but what will keep people actually subscribing is that its a solid game. I have atleast 5 friends that never buy MMORPGs but after watching me play and playing a bit at my house, they went out and bought it. The game is as deep or as shallow as you want it to be. Heh, I just spent like 3 hours at the goddamn auction house the other day. I managed to buy all new armor and sell a lot of stuff I had stored at my mog-house.
-- D3X
The site that is redefining the adult entertainment industry.
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.
This has to be the case, simply because only 1/4th of their subscribers are in the US, where the game has been out only a fairly short time, and is only available on the PC. The Japanese release, which has been available ~18 months, accounts for 75% of the users, which means that either people have been living with their heads in the ground and are just now picking it up (unlikely, especially since Japanese sales usually dive after a couple weeks at best), or they really like the game.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
so saying they currently have 400k subscribers from japan and 100k boxes sold equalling 430k subscribes sounds like a decent estimate. what they basically are saying is that 70% of the people buying the boxed game will most likely not continue for longer then 1 month worth of play. MMORPG is not for everyone.
This sounds about right, but it's probably more likely that 30+% of the North American users have decided to subscribe for some period of time.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
Are you guys even reading what the article says? Nowhere does it say that there are 400k subscribers from Japan. It says that they have passed the 400k mark 18 months after the Japanese release (430k at the moment). That number includes U.S. sales over the past month.
Furthermore, as it says, they have sold 200k boxes in the U.S., which have spawned 100k subscriptions. You're just pulling numbers out of your ass when you're talking about 30% of North American users subscribing.
RTFA!! Better yet, actually try to understand the article. Don't just grab a few numbers out of it and start plugging them into your calculators without regard to their actual meaning.
And there's only one reason for that. The name.
Or perhaps people finally got to try a MMORPG that had been adequately tested before it arrived on store shelves (thanks for beta testing, Japan!) Or maybe people liked previous games from SquareEnix and bought it not because it had the same name, but because it was from the same people.
It is narrow-minded and fallacious to suggest that the only reason for the game's success is the name.
Random and weird software I've written.
It probably also helps that the game plays almost identical to Everquest in a lot of ways, that other MMOGs don't. Not that that's bad; obviously it is successful.
It does do some things better than Everquest did, but "autoattack" is still pretty much there, with bash/kick replaced with skills that can be combined in groups. The experience point distribution problem is worse, where if your group is any more than 1 level apart, experience is rather uneven. But all in all it is better.
Furthermore, as it says, they have sold 200k boxes in the U.S.
they sold 200k boxes to STORES. i.e. ebgames, babbages/gamestop etc. NOT TO PEOPLE.
which have spawned 100k subscriptions
so of those 200k boxes, 100k people have signed up for a playonline account.
(430k at the moment)
430k - 100k = 330k current Japanesse subscribers.
now what we are saying is of those 100k boxes ACTUALLY FREAKIN SOLD TO PEOPLE. we would expect 70% of them to NOT continue the subscription past 6 months. and if you look at the number from any other MMORPG that's not a bad estimate.
so lets pretend that all 100k people keep their subscription then to break 500k (which is what ever-crap has) we need 70k more subs. to get 70k more subs we need to buy 70k * 10/3 more boxes or
233k more boxes.
put that in your freaking TI-81
I had never played any of the final fantasy games.
I bought it and play it because I have friends that play it.
I think that is the primary motivation behind many user's game purchasing decisions.
Although, oddly enough, I helped one friend install while another
had been playing for a couple days, and when I went to buy it at Best Buy the next day(a friday, 3 or 4 weeks ago)) They did not have any copies of the game!
Nor did they have it on the list of upcoming games. The guy who worked there told me my friends must have bought it online or were in a beta program. He knew this because he was a "computer guy" and knew about these things.
So I went across the street to Electronics Boutique at the mall and bought it there.
Furthermore, as it says, they have sold 200k boxes in the U.S., which have spawned 100k subscriptions. You're just pulling numbers out of your ass when you're talking about 30% of North American users subscribing.
;) In order to reach 500k they need 70k more users assuming that no one drops before they reach that number. If it takes them over a month to ship another 140k boxes (if 200k shipped = 100k subscribed, 140k = 70k subscribed), there's a possibility that they'll lose some percentage of subscribers, and need to increase the shipments even more (though, of course, they need to actually sell the boxes too).
OK, so, at worst they have 50% of NA users signed up to PlayOnline (not exactly the same thing as subscribing for the game, either). Considering that there are still boxes on the shelves, it's probably much higher than that, like 70% since we already used that number
In any case, the wording is unclear on one point: PlayOnline subscribers != FFXI subscribers. I'm a PlayOnline subscriber and I don't even own FFXI, I simply subscribed to get all of the content for the FFIX book I bought over a year ago.
RTFA!! Better yet, actually try to understand the article. Don't just grab a few numbers out of it and start plugging them into your calculators without regard to their actual meaning.
Yes, I did RTFA and UTFA, unfortunately it was about 15 minutes before I posted the above comment, and I didn't re-read before replying. Congratulations for having a better memory than I do, but then, that's why I use computers to store most important information and my cell phone to store phone numbers and physical & email addresses.
-PainKilleR-[CE]
I mean, comon the game was out for over a year and got an expansion pack for crying out loud. By testing the game out in an area where they would almost be guaranteed consumer feedback (Final Fantasy name + Japan = fanboyism) they can fix and tweak the game around with relatively few losses. Its a simple marketing technique :
Try a product out on the largest possible group of people and gather feedback on the product over along people of time before releasing it to the public. The only reason this doesn't happen too often (ever) is that businesses don't have the money to fund this sort of work and because Square-Enix has legions of fanboys who would PAY to participate in this. (Its like paying to be a beta test. If you could be in the beta test of Half-Life 2/Doom 3 by paying $5 a month, would you do it?)
Final Fantasy XI is just so damn appealing it's insane. It appeals to people who enjoy the whole Final Fantasy world, n00bs to MMORPG's who find the familiar world and easy to use interface a breath of fresh air, and hardcore gamers looking for a new experience in a world that's already very developed.
;)
I tried to jump on the whole "Everquest" boat a few years ago, but found it was too complex and annoying. I kept falling in what appeared to be puddles and drowning. The whole "Everquest" world was unfamiliar and kind of overwhelming, so I decided MMORPG's weren't for me. I never even made it out of the first town. Being reared of games like "Exitilus" and "Legend of the Red Dragon", the idea of an MMORPG was very appealing, but I figured they were too complex and annoying, and required too much time for someone like myself to get into.
Until, of course, Final Fantasy XI. Within a week, I have a level 10 warrior doing things like joining parties, slaying monsters, making gil, and chatting it up. It was so easy to become part of the 'community' and do basic easy things. It's literally like playing Final Fantasy, except with a bunch of other people and a slower leveling up process. There are story based missions, lots of NPCs, familiar characters... the list goes on. I feel like I've been playing for months, hell, I even help n00bs out when I can.
5 other people in my hall have decided to give it a try, because it looks so easy to get into. 3 of them have played Final Fantasy prior to XI, and the other two just think it 'looks really fun'. It lacks that 'overhwhelming feel' you get from other MMORPGs, the interface is so friendly and familiar, yet in reality, complex and effective.
Final Fantasy XI has been the best investment I've put into a video game in years. I highly recomend anyone reading this try it. And look for Dyrian.
"In a Democracy, people get the kind of government they deserve." -Winston Churchill