Final Fantasy XIV is a game that has become too successful. With sales suspended last month due to unprecedented player counts and wait times for some reaching the four-hour mark, director and producer Naoki Yoshida has transformed the MMO from an abject failure into Square Enix’s golden child. Affectionately called Yoshi-P by the fanbase, the man behind FFXIV‘s incredible success published a New Year letter to the official website thanking the game’s 24 million players for their support and took time to reminisce on the past eight years of content. Yoshida also hinted at what may be coming in the next expansion, which is likely years away.
After the game’s 1.0 release was deemed a failure, it was reborn in 2013 as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. This started the Hydaelyn and Zodiark story arc that would only see its conclusion last month with the release of Endwalker, leaving many fans wondering what could possibly be coming next. After all, this is the only story arc players have known during their time in Eorzea.
In the middle of the letter, Yoshi-P mentions that he “found” a poem on his desk, which references the conclusion of the powerful Endwalker story. In FFXIV, the player character is called the ‘Warrior of Light’ after becoming more and more powerful throughout the lands. However, Yoshida quickly retracts that moniker, instead referring to players simply as ‘adventurers.’
While Yoshida had previously promised that the end of the current arc wouldn’t be the end of Final Fantasy XIV altogether, fans were still relieved by this revelation. Endwalker has become the most well-received Final Fantasy story in the past two decades, and players are excited at the prospect of taking a step back to simply explore. If the past eight years are anything to go by, we don’t need to worry about what comes next.
Final Fantasy XIV is available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The game’s newest expansion Endwalker was released on December 7, and sales of the title were suspended on December 16 due to extreme server congestion. Final Fantasy XIV‘s popular Heavensturn Event, held annually to celebrate the New Year, is currently underway until January 19.
