With the new year’s arrival, there’s also a letter from Final Fantasy XIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida. In addition to wishing everyone a Happy New Year, he reflects on the journey to get all the way to Endwalker, and some of what to expect for the game’s future.
We’re near the one month mark since Endwalker’s release, which concluded the saga of Zodiark and Hydaelyn, and is the product of a decade of work since 1.0. However, this closing of one chapter means they’ll be working on what comes next, something Yoshida confirms in the letter:
“However, FFXIV itself is far from over, and we've already begun creating new journeys for all you Warriors of Light?or adventurers, rather?to embark upon!”
After 12 years heading up Final Fantasy XIV, and ten years in the lead up to Endwalker, he still shares passion for where things could go, and as he has said before, considers FFXIV his life’s work. So what can we expect next? It seems that there will be a reveal of some kind in the not too distant future.
“The first step in this new leg of our journey is Patch 6.1, ahead of which we'll take the opportunity to share our plans for FFXIV's future,” he says. While this is just a hint, we’re up to 6.05, so the new patch and whatever hints we get are coming.
After 2021’s big influx of players and the growth that also impacted Endwalker’s release, there’s still more the team is working on to bring the service to a workable situation (and to even put the game back on sale and welcome new players again).
Yoshida once again addresses both the two-week delay getting to the release and server issues with reassurance that they are continuing to work on increasing capacity and adding data centers. With supply issues still felt across so many industries, he asks for continued patience as they get things sorted for a smoother experience.
See the full New Year’s letter over at Final Fantasy XIV.
