Highlights
- The Final Fantasy 14 director and the development team plan to support the game for another ten years, ensuring a long-lasting future for the MMO.
- The success of the game has resulted in four expansions, with the upcoming Dawntrail expansion set to provide a fresh start and a high level of catharsis.
- Yoshida hopes to release at least three more expansions before he turns 60, and the length and size of future content will be adjusted based on player feedback.
The director and producer behind the long-running MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 recently revealed that he plans to support the game for another ten years. The MMO has been going for quite a while now, with 2023 marking Final Fantasy 14‘s 10-year anniversary. Ever since its producer and director, Naoki Yoshida, stepped into the role, the game has become one of the most successful projects in Square Enix’s catalog and is still receiving support today.
Final Fantasy 14‘s success has resulted in four expansions that were released throughout the decade of its activity, with Endwalker having wrapped up the storyline that started all the way back in 2013. The game will be having a brand-new start with the Dawntrail expansion, which is currently slated for Summer 2024. With the game already going on for a decade, there are some fans who wonder how much life the game could have. Director Naoki Yoshida commented on the game’s future and how long he and the team wish to continue working on the MMO.
In an interview with Famitsu, Yoshida looked back on the success and legacy of Final Fantasy 14 in the past ten years. The director then commented that he and the development team have plans to continue working on the game and support it for another ten years. He notes that the main concern is how the team should try differentiating themselves from their past work, but expresses excitement on how they’re entering a new creative stage.
He mentioned how the Endwalker expansion closed the book on Final Fantasy 14‘s overarching narratives, which he acknowledges is a bit unconventional since MMOs aren’t supposed to have a traditional ending. However, he mentioned the conclusion of Endwalker allowed them to pave the way for Dawntrail, which he wished to deliver a high level of catharsis that was similar to the previous expansion. He however notes after how climactic Endwalker ended up being, Dawntrail might feel a little slower since it’s a new storyline being started.
Yoshida had previously stated how many expansions are in mind for Final Fantasy 14 after Dawntrail, where he hoped to release at least three more before he turns 60 years old. The director will be 51 when Dawntrail releases in 2024, with two more already being planned currently. The length and size of the story and expansions following Dawntrail will be adjusted based on the audience’s reaction. Yoshida wrapped up the interview by thanking the many Final Fantasy 14 players and asking them to look forward to the upcoming expansion.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5 with an Xbox Series X/S version coming in Spring 2024.
Source: Famitsu (via Siliconera)