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Final Fantasy XIV To Take Down WoW?
Not every massively multiplayer online title needs to achieve the runaway success of World of Warcraft. Many studios would be overjoyed to create a game that drew in a solid 200,000 subscribers – but not Square Enix.
In this recent interview with Develop, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada said that the company is positioning its upcoming Final Fantasy XIV as a serious rival to Blizzard's juggernaut. "But the flipside is that they are a tough competition," Wada commented.
Square Enix is banking on the fact that eventually Blizzard will need to make a sequel to World of Warcraft – and the history books show that the transition from one iteration to the next leaves an opening for another game to take the crown. "WoW is a tough competitor," admits Wada, "But whether you are talking about EverQuest, Ultima or Lineage there has never been a company that has a continuously successful number one and two MMO.”
Of course, this logic is based on the conclusion that WoW will, in fact, need a sequel. Given the success of the game's expansion packs thus far, we wouldn't be surprised to see Blizzard continue to build on the same universe rather than branch out into a brand new title.
Does that mean that WoW is unbeatable? Do you think we'll ever see another competitor become the king of the MMO genre? Let us know in the comments below.
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