I was right there for the whole thing – the initial launch, the change in management, the relaunch – but I never really expected Final Fantasy XIV to get over. I expected to like it because I found things to love even in the first version, but I had already kind of consigned myself to being mostly known as the City of Heroes guy who also happened to talk about FFXIV sometimes. I definitely did not expect the change that happened, and I am kind of perpetually dazed that FFXIV is now in the big five and makes major waves with everything it does. Happy, but I did not expect it.
I am sure, however, that some people thought it was coming and were not surprised by it. Maybe you’re one of them. Maybe you were surprised by Black Desert taking off. Or heck, maybe you were surprised by how Elyon failed to connect with audiences; not all surprises are good ones, after all. It needn’t even be this year! When has an MMO surprised you with its success, positive or negative?