"Keeping up" with modern MMOs means EverQuest II, Age of Conan, Darkfall, etc. which all happen to be miming World of Warcraft. I wouldn't go so far as to say that's a good thing.

As an avid player of FFXI, I rather like the direction the game has taken instead of hopping on the WoW bandwagon. FFXI is most definitely a niche game, but I would prefer that it stays that way. The day they implement the carebear features that have made modern MMOs so popular is the day I unsubscribe.