Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s "Bad" Launch Is Great News For The Elder Scrolls Online

Blaine Smith of Camelot Post writes:

You have probably read as far as the end of the title and you’re already preparing to spam the comments section with threats of violence, but please give me a few moments of your time before your don your cloak and dig out your pitch fork.

"If Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn can attract 218,000 players on launch day with basic MMO launch day problems and a subscription package, there is no reason that The Elder Scrolls Online can’t emulate that same success. This week has meant great things for Final Fantasy fans but it has also given those of us a bit skeptical about the pay-to-play ESO launch, a shining ray of hope."

[Abriael]

boy what a stinking mess of an article I'm not reporting it as lame out of pity...

Mind you, FFXIV got 218k (actually 230) concurrent connections, it attracted a LOT more players overall.

[CaptainCamper]

Did you bother to read any of the article or just the highlighted content on N4G? :D Also, can you throw me a source for the 230k so I can adjust the article? Would be greatly appreciated :D

[Abriael]

I read it, and it's based on all kinds of wrong assumptions.

And here's the source.
http://www.dualshockers.com...

[CaptainCamper]

People that hoped ESO would be free-to-play were worried that a mainly console-based RPG could not be successful with a pay-to-play model

FFXIV has proven that's not the case.

[Abriael]

No, while I hope it will, it didn't prove anything yet.

A MMORPG doesn't prove success until it retains those subscribers. Selling boxes is easy. Keeping those subs is not.

[CaptainCamper]

Lol, do you play MMO games? Today's pay-to-play titles are not trying to keep subscribers for years and years. The era of WoW type profits is gone.

The subscription model, along with original purchase cost, is there purely to offset the cost of development before the inevitable switch to F2P. FFXIV has more chance of remaining P2P than ESO but I expect (and many others with common sense) to see a F2P transition in the first 12-18 months.

[Kte]

Yep, what Abriael said. They have time to fix this, hell they will fix the issue before ESO is released (+content) so I'm not sure how this is good for ESO.

[PersonaCat]

FFXIV will not be going to free to play. Considering that FFXI is still P2P and has been around for an incredibly long time. Also Yoshida has said he would sooner end the game then go F2P showing how much he believes in the model.

[JD2013]

I am sure that Zenimax and indeed Bethesda are watching this all very closely. But, that's not to say they should be compared. Final Fantasy has a huge Japanese following, willing to plough money into it, while Elder Scrolls appeals more to the western audience. Comparison is futile with regards to these two titles.

I'm certainly going to be playing Elder Scrolls Online. I have no desire to play FF XIV and I'm a huge RPG nerd and a fan of both series. It is indeed heartening to see that people will pay for subscriptions. I for one have no problem with Elder Scrolls having a sub if they provide a premium service of regular patches and updates and content additions.

As stated, box sales don't mean a great deal. It's if they keep the subscribers subscribing to their service. Nothing more. Time will tell. For both titles.

[Sci0n]

To be honest I was a little let down about the fact that square launched xiv with no real pvp aspect to the game. I am not going to pay a monthly sub just to hold hands with everyone and PVE all day. One of my favorite things about mmos is being able to pvp. I played everquest 1 for years and was in the top guild on the veeshan server Fires Of Heaven. I also played DCUO for years on the PS3 and was in one of the top PVP villain leagues on the No Mans Land server Legion Of Sin. If I wasn't able to jump from PVE to PVP on those games I don't know if I would have remained interested or felt comfortable paying a fee. If elder scrolls online launches with pvp I might consider getting it.