{"id":1273,"date":"2021-07-29T07:40:40","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T22:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=1273"},"modified":"2022-05-13T18:09:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T09:09:32","slug":"20210719-1273","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20210719-1273\/","title":{"rendered":"FF14 goes full steam ahead as unofficial statistics show a significant spike in player count"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Publication date of the original Japanese article<\/a>: 2021-07-19 19:20 (JST)
Translated by. Braden Noyes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


As we here at AUTOMATON have reported several times over the past few weeks, Square Enix\u2019s MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV<\/strong><\/em> has recently seen a dramatic rise in the number of players, particularly outside of Japan. The concurrent player count for the Steam version of FF14 <\/em>hit an all-time high on July 5, 2021 with 48,697 players online at the same time, and this number has only continued to increase since. The total number of concurrent players topped out at 67,148 people on July 18, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has largely been due to a mass migration of players from World of Warcraft<\/em> to FF14<\/em> led by popular streamer Asmongold. We have also seen more than a few Reddit threads over the past few weeks featuring memes related to this exodus of players leaving World of Warcraft<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of concurrent players on Steam is often used as a means to quantify the popularity of a game. However, it should be mentioned that Steam is definitely not the most popular platform among FF14<\/em> players. The game has both a PC version as well as a PlayStation version (PS4 and PS5), with the PC version being further divided into the Windows, Mac, and Steam versions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there aren\u2019t any glaring problems with the performance of the Steam version, there are a number of issues players have cited as reasons they tend to avoid the platform in favor of other versions: managing subscription payments and making in-game purchases is overly complicated; the collector\u2019s edition with bonus in-game content is not available; and the list goes on. Looking at the FF14<\/em> Steam page<\/a>, you will find a number of reviews pointing out the lack of user-friendliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So while seeing popularity statistics for a game on Steam is quite simple, in FF14\u2019s<\/em> case, the number of players using the Steam version is only a small drop in the bucket. In fact, it wasn\u2019t too long ago that so many people were purchasing the PC download version that the official website temporarily listed the item as out of stock. And we have no way to see how many players are simultaneously logged into that version of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how are we supposed to check the statistics in regard to the overall player base? Well, that\u2019s where the unofficial data comes in handy.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
SteamDB records (as of July 19, 2021)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


User LuckyBancho has been monitoring FF14<\/em> player statistics ever since the game was first released in 2010. On July 18, 2021, he updated the \u201cLodestone Census<\/a>\u201d on his blog. Based on player data gathered from FF14\u2019s<\/em> official player website, The Lodestone, he creates a way to visualize statistics such as the number of active characters and how many players have cleared various in-game content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to LuckyBancho\u2019s data, FF14<\/em> has around 1.2 million active characters. That\u2019s 250,000 more than his previous report on April 11, 2021. The game also gained around 50,000 active characters between his report in April and the one prior to that on February 7, 2021. Looking at this data, you can clearly see the number of players has spiked over the last few months. Furthermore, his previous reports coincide somewhat with patches 5.4 and 5.5, showing just how powerful Asmongold\u2019s influence as a popular streamer has been even when compared to the promise of brand new game content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LuckyBancho\u2019s \u201cLodestone Census\u201d doesn\u2019t just look at the number of active characters, though. It also contains data such as the number of players who have cleared the game\u2019s most difficult content, the \u201cEden\u2019s Promise: Eternity\u201d raid, and how many players have taken part in \u201cThe Bozjan Southern Front\u201d adventuring foray content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sampled data is published in a Google spreadsheet, making it simple for anyone interested to take a look. LuckyBancho finishes his blog post saying that he hopes to update the \u201cLodestone Census\u201d just before the release of the new Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker<\/em> expansion. Just remember to keep in mind his numbers are all unofficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the occasions we here at AUTOMATON have discussed the increasing number of FF14<\/em> players in the past, we have also often mentioned periods in which no new content is added to the game and players find themselves running out of things to do. It\u2019s probably safe to assume many players who have finished leveling and have cleared all the high-end content occasionally run into these stretches of boredom. However, this means the timing couldn\u2019t be better for players who are just beginning the game for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FF14<\/em> is an MMORPG designed with a great matching system, making it easier for even those who play by themselves to find parties. However, there are plenty of people out there who might get nervous at the thought of being suddenly paired up with a group of players they\u2019ve never met before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we previously mentioned, however, there are also many veteran players who have plenty of extra time on their hands right now as they await new content. We\u2019d wager that if you were to ask for help, you\u2019d most likely be able to find plenty of seasoned players more than happy to lend you a hand exploring a dungeon you\u2019ve never been to or taking on some of the game\u2019s high-level content for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who\u2019ve had the game recommended to you and just haven\u2019t taken that first step yet, we would definitely suggest using this opportunity to hop on board the recent hype train and check out the world of FF14<\/em>. And even if you\u2019ve just been thinking about picking up the game and starting on your own, there\u2019s no better time to dive in and find an experienced player to help guide you on your adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 2010 \u2013 2021 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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