The development team realises that playing both Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy 14 could take up too much time for the average gamer. With this taken into consideration, they say important gameplay elements of Final Fantasy XIV are designed to be much lighter on a player's schedule, containing a wider variety of content. This will allow players to find the best way to enjoy the game for themselves, irrelevant of the time they may or may not have.

Final Fantasy 14 will not be as "rough" on the player, which will lead to many people leaving Vana'diel to pursue adventurers in the land of Eorzea.