To Yoshida, the biggest problems with the original Final Fantasy XIV came from how the game itself was envisioned and developed. Final Fantasy XI, Square Enix's other Final Fantasy MMO, was developed as a game where Final Fantasy would meet EverQuestâ??the top MMORPG of the day. In fact, according to Yoshida, the entire staff played EverQuest for at least a year while developing FFXI, trying to figure out just what exactly made it work so well. "I think it would've been good to do the same thing [for the original FFXIV]."

"So, because they tried only to make something that was 'different from FFXI,' they ended up with not much of anything."

In Yoshida's opinion, the reason FFXI was a success is that it took the areas where Final Fantasy was strongestâ??cutscenes, dramatic scenarios, and story-driven contentâ??and input them into an EverQuest inspired framework.

However, when the original FFXIV was in development, the goal of the project was simply to make a game that was different from Final Fantasy XI. Yoshida feels that the creators didn't recognize that the global standard of MMOs had been significantly raised in recent years. He would have suggested a different path for the gameâ??one that mirrored FFXI's own creation. "I think it would've been good if they tried seeing what happened if they turned World of Warcraft into Final Fantasy. So, because they tried only to make something that was 'different from FFXI,' they ended up with not much of anything."

Closing of FINAL FANTASY XIV Worlds (12/18/2012)

All FINAL FANTASY XIV Worlds will be taken offline December 31, 2012, at 06:59 a.m. (PST).

Don't miss out on your last chance for adventure before the realm is reborn!