The most recent adventurer survey for 22-year-old Final Fantasy XI got over 13,000 responses from players, and the development team has shared the results. In addition to illuminating that players want cheaper subs and FFXI Classic, the survey showed that the playerbase is nearly divided down the middle between people who primarily play solo and those who play with a set group of players. Which means that if you don’t already have a group of people to play with, you are probably going to have a hard time finding people.
Here’s the key chart:
The solo issue cropped up again in responses to the “satisfaction” question.
“The most commonly used words were ‘solo play,’ ‘game content,’ and ‘time.’ As we read the comments, we noticed that many of them wanted us to expand the quantity and breadth of solo play activities, and that they wanted us to do away with entry restrictions based on the number of people for some in-game content. Many players also replied that they are unable to actively recruit party members due to their individual circumstances, which forces them to play the game solo. Similarly, some players stated that playing the game by themselves limits their ability to access the endgame content, making it hard for them to find things to do within the game.”
There are obviously plenty of ways to address the solo vs. group divide, but the new year letter from producer and director Yoji Fujito makes it clear that one of Square-Enix’s major areas of focus for the next year will be offering further support for solo play options.
“Many people play the game solo for various reasons, including instances when it is difficult to form parties, or simply because they prefer to experience the game on their own,” Fujito explains. “In order to provide such players with an extra challenge, we will be looking at powering up the alter ego system and also taking another look at the entry requirements for battle content that requires players to form parties. By doing so, it is our hope that solo players can have an experience that is more in-line with the endgame content.”
It looks as if Square will be considering a new party organization system and progression aids for new players, as well as ways to revitalize existing content so that outdated content still has a place in player experience. There’s no timeline just yet, but Fujito does say the team is “rather close to finalizing things.” Check out the full letter for a lengthier breakdown.
