In Final Fantasy XIV, one is very satisfied with its payment model. A switch to Free2Play is hard to imagine, at least not until World of Warcraft (WoW) decides to adopt it.
In an interview, Naoki Yoshida, director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, was asked whether he had considered that The Elder Scrolls Online is switching to a Buy2Play model and whether there might not be a shift in the genre toward a different solution, especially for consoles. Perhaps something like this could also be considered for FF XIV?
However, Yoshida puts a stop to that. While they are also watching other MMOs like The Elder Scrolls Online closely, they believe their own players are satisfied with the payment model. This was also supported by surveys: Over 80% of surveyed players are satisfied with the Pay2Play model.
The current arrangement guarantees security and a steady flow of new game content. Just because competitors are making changes doesn’t mean they are necessarily right for Final Fantasy XIV.
At the end, Yoshida allowed himself a small joke. With a laugh, he added: “If World of Warcraft ever becomes completely Free2Play, then we’ll take another look at it.”
