Square Enix doesn't need you to make Final Fantasy XI a success. If you believe everything you read on the internet, Final Fantasy XI (FFXI) has around five hundred thousand subscribers. What's unique about FFXI is that its subscribers are scattered across various platforms and continents with players sharing the same servers. The mixing of myriad demographics creates some interesting interactions for the players and uncommon challenges for the development team. Nevertheless, EnixSquare Enix does want you like Eddie Murphy wants ice cream (Warning: Not safe for work), and everything done to FFXI since launch has proven it. I recently had a chance to tour the latest content updates for FFXI to see these accommodations firsthand.

But First Some History
While I may consider myself something of a Final Fantasy buff, I can't begin to touch the level of fanaticism displayed by many Japanese fans. Yes, I have played Final Fantasy I, IV-VIII, X-XII, Tactics, Tactics Advance, Tactics A2, Mystical Quest and maybe even a couple of the Legends games on the Game Boy. Yes, I have seen some of the anime and the first Final Fantasy movie. Yes, I have a Cloud Strife action figure (And Aerith. And a chocobo.). And maybe I laminated an image of the Sphere Grid from FFX for easy reference. And possibly the License Board from FFXII. But never mind all of that because I have never engaged in Final Fantasy cosplay (see image at right). Whatever geeky level of insanity I may have achieved, there is always a Japanese gamer whose zeal for the franchise tops mine. And that is a problem.

See, the Japanese FFXI gamers at launch tended to be hardcore. They enjoyed the difficulty of the game. The relished in the fact that players could easily become lost and that no one was holding a newbie's hands. They didn't mind that players needed to grind for XP and cash.

By contrast, the American gamers who would come to FFXI months later were expecting something a bit different. The fans of Final Fantasy console games were used to lengthy tutorials. The American console release of Final Fantasy II, which is really Final Fantasy IV, is the perfect example of the "dumbing-down" of the series to please American audiences. Meanwhile, the EverQuest expatriates were used to playing in a sandbox; their world let them explore as much as they could, but Vana'diel presented many restricted areas. The story-driven plot of FFXI forced a few "on rails" elements that did not sit well with an audience used to exploring vast chunks of land at whim.

I remember well the launch of FFXI in America. I cautiously waited to hear from my friends who tried the game. The first complaint I heard was the convoluted login system. I won't try to explain it, but the system is still in place. At least your account is safe--even from you. With multiple logins to access PlayOnline (the launcher) and then FFXI itself, players feel like they need freaking CIA clearance just to play the game they paid for. The next complaint was shard crystals. Players were randomly placed on shards (or servers) unless their friends bought a special pass to get them to the server they wanted. People had to roll and reroll characters just to get the shard they wanted with their friends. Of course, this heavy-handed population distribution technique is no more, but it was another restrictive element American players faced. The third complaint was the limit of one character per account. Extra characters required the purchase of an additional slot for $1/month. This system still exists because the theory is that you can just change jobs to experience the other classes in the game, but it feels a bit more like China's One Child policy to an audience that is used to freedom to dabble in alts.

Once the American players got in the world of Vana'diel, they encountered all of the adversity cataloged above, which was bad enough, but what made matters worse is they also had trouble communicating with their Japanese counterparts. A few of the Japanese players were even rude to Americans, treating them as gaijin, or outsiders, in their Vana'diel. The over all experience--the frustration with the limitations, the harsh edge to the game, and foreign neighbors in the same sever--made FFXI a tough sell for many American gamers.