Naoki Yoshida
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Final Fantasy XIV's 2.1 patch coming December 17th
During Final Fantasy XIV's live producer's letter that aired this morning, Naoki Yoshida offered players a look at a variety of new features coming in 2.1 and dropped the date and name for the patch. A Realm Awoken will hit servers on December 17th in Japan (which could translate to December 16th in the West, depending on the time of day). Throughout the stream, Yoshida fielded player questions while discussing the upcoming content, which includes, but is not limited to, new gear, the Crystal Tower content, new hard-mode dungeons, extreme primal battles, veteran rewards, and Dragoon adjustments. You can read up on the answers in the Q&A thread available on the forums. An additional look at 2.1, including the PlayStation 4 version, is coming in the next live producer's letter on December 14th. We'll update you with the full recording as soon as the official Q&A summary goes live!
Square's financial outlook improves thanks to FFXIV
Square-Enix has revised its financial outlook and now expects to finish the current quarter with a $47.6 million profit, The Escapist reports. Most of the credit goes to Final Fantasy XIV and its 1.5 million users, of course, but the piece also mentions Square's "company-wide cost cutting efforts" as part of the winning formula. Final Fantasy XIV originally launched in 2010 before closing down and undergoing a radical redesign presided over by producer Naoki Yoshida.
Final Fantasy XIV producer letter talks classes, cheating, and housing
A hefty two-and-a-half hour live Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter has tackled a wide range of questions from the community, including issues regarding class balance, anti-cheating efforts, and housing details. While free company housing is coming soon, the producer said that it will be another half-year or so before individual housing arrives. One of the big topics of the day was how the team is dealing with the disagreeable elements arising from the use of the duty finder. Square-Enix is considering changes to add a bulletin board-style system for more specific groups, better communication options for group participants, and an MVP voting system that will allow players to give points to good teammates that can be later spent on rewards. Executive Producer Naoki Yoshida also addressed the question of whether the game's subscriber numbers are decreasing: "As FFXIV:ARR is a subscription-based business model, naturally there will be players who will not play anymore once they finish the main scenario. MMORPGs that launched after 2008 with a subscription based model retained a maximum of 35% of their users during the first month of subscriptions. However, FFXIV:ARR has surpassed this number by a wide margin." There's a lot covered for Final Fantasy XIV players who want to be in the know, so check it out!
Final Fantasy XIV promises 'fairly substantial' first update
Final Fantasy XIV Executive Producer Naoki Yoshida wrote that the upcoming first update for the relaunched title will be "fairly substantial" in several categories. He said that the update will contain more activities for players to do, including daily quests, treasure hunts, new dungeons, primal battles, housing, and the return of the Good King Moggle Mog. Update 2.1 will go on to introduce a character salon, a party search function, changes based on player feedback, an item-sort function, and the return of a character from the old version of the game. Yoshida said that before the update hits, the team will tweak tomestone drop rates to make them easier for players to obtain and fix an issue with the Binding Coil of Bahamut that's keeping players from completing it.
Final Fantasy XIV sums up its Tokyo Game Show letters
Final Fantasy XIV has been playable for just about a month. Gamers being what we are, a lot of us are already asking about what comes next for the game, because there's slightly less unexplored content than there was before. But fear not; the official live letters from producer and director Naoki Yoshida have been translated and the highlights recapped on the official site, giving everyone a closer look at what's coming from housing, PvP, and the new Crystal Tower. Yoshida explains that Crystal Tower is meant to be easier than the Binding Coil of Bahamut currently accessible, although it is still inteded to be high-end content (he mentions the possibility of requiring relic weapons). Housing will be launched for Free Companies first, with the team closely examining the strain caused by these before putting in individual houses. Players can also expect every craft to be involved in providing decorations for housing rather than just a few, helping to make everyone's contributions relevant. Take a look at the full roundup for all the details, although the team remains mum on the price of houses.
Final Fantasy XIV tops 1 million unique logins, previews first patch
It might seem as if everyone is playing Final Fantasy XIV these days. In the most recent live Producer's Letter, Naoki Yoshida made it clear that while it's not everyone, the game has certainly attracted sizable numbers. Over one million unique logins have taken place since the launch, with an average of 617,000 unique daily logins and a concurrency peak of 344,000 users, which is pretty good when you take into account the game's troubled launch history. But the development team isn't focusing just on the past. The game's first patch is in the works; it's due to hit the live servers this year, and it contains a lot of extra content. Housing will be included, as will the game's first PvP arena and new extreme difficulty fights for each of the Primals. The patch will also include a new Primal fight against Good King Moogle Mog, hard modes for two dungeons, a new dungeon, daily quests, random matching rewards, a treasure hunting system... a lot of stuff, in other words. So maybe those million unique players are on to something. [Thanks to Scott for the tip]
Final Fantasy XIV combats server congestion
Square Enix Producer Naoki Yoshida wants to assure players suffering from the heartbreak of server congestion that sunny days are indeed ahead for Final Fantasy XIV. To lessen the crush that players have put upon the game, the studio has added new worlds, instance servers, and a third duty finder group. "Even with the previously discussed measures in place," he wrote, "there remain several overpopulated worlds that may still be subject to peak-time login and character creation restrictions." Yoshida said that if all goes well through the weekend, Final Fantasy XIV's digital sales will resume. Future plans include relaxing restrictions on simultaneous logins and going forward with world transfers.
PAX Prime 2013: FFXIV's Yoshida on rebuilding trust and expanding functionality
Apart from Square's public presentation, which was open to both media types and fans at this year's PAX Prime, we were also able to sit down with Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida for a more intimate interview session. Join us after the cut as we talk about classes, jobs, consoles vs. PCs, and a boatload of other Eorzean tidbits.
PAX Prime 2013: Final Fantasy XIV's presentation apologizes for a 'rocky' launch
Final Fantasy XIV had a sizable presence at PAX Prime this year. Massively sat in on Square's presentation and group interview, and we also managed a separate session with producer Naoki Yoshida apart from all the hustle and bustle. In this recap, we'll walk you through the highlights from the first session, which also featured sound director Masayoshi Soken and localization lead Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, who handled translation duties.
Final Fantasy XIV dev talks new servers and access restrictions
It's no secret that the long-awaited re-launch of Final Fantasy XIV hasn't gone very smoothly. In fact, the servers are taking such a beating that Square Enix has temporarily shut down online sales of the game. Despite the game's current woes, the FFIXV team wants fans to know that it is working overtime to get things running smoothly. In a lengthy forum post, producer and director Naoki Yoshida (aka Yoshi-P) outlined what steps have been taken to stabilize FFXIV's game world. Yoshida noted that all Final Fantasy XIV servers now have login restrictions to prevent a flood of logs and re-logs from causing them to crash. Login restrictions are most likely to be implemented during peak times, which Yoshida says are between 9:00 p.m. and midnight. Each server can support a theoretical maximum of 5,000 concurrent players.
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn struggles through early access weekend
Final Fantasy 14 just can't catch a break. Quality issues upon initial release had then-Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada claiming that the game "greatly damaged" the Final Fantasy brand, and the game was shut down near the close of 2012 to make way for the reworked Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. Now, with A Realm Reborn's August 27th release date imminent, the game is struggling with full servers during early access weekend. This is pretty common in MMOs, especially ones that have as dedicated a following as Final Fantasy 14; what's not so common is the shutdown of other features, such as character creation, which is preventing players from so much as creating a new avatar, let alone playing as it. A Realm Reborn's director, Naoki Yoshida, apologized to fans on the game's official forums, stating that, unless the simultaneous connection rate decreases, the maintenance crew will be unable to allow the creation of additional characters. Yoshida also asked for players' patience and cooperation as Square Enix works to restore server stability.
Hear the latest FFXIV news in next Producer's Letter Live
Sometimes words on a page (or screen, obviously) just can't convey the spirit and feeling behind a message. Even all caps or a series of !!1!1 can't adequately express some sentiments -- for that, you need visual cues and tone of voice. Final Fantasy XIV fans will be treated to those when Producer Naoki Yoshida livestreams the next Producer's Letter on August 8th at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The topic: beta and the official release. Questions for the show can be submitted to the designated thread before airing and via the game's official Twitter account during the stream; just be sure to attach #XIV to all tweeted inquiries. If you miss the stream live -- or don't understand Japanese -- you can still catch the answers to all the questions addressed in both real time on Twitter and a Q&A summary to be posted on the site shortly afterward.
New FFXIV videos continue the tour of Eorzea, demo group finder
Back in February, Final Fantasy XIV fans were treated to a whole slew of great stuff, including a video tour -- composed of both PC and PS3 footage -- of A Realm Reborn's refurbished land of Eorzea. Come May, a second part of this series showed off even more. But not even two videos could cover all there is to see, so today's third installment continues the journey, allowing players to to travel through various areas in La Noscea, The Black Shroud, Thanalan, Coerthas, and Mor Dhona. Square Enix also released its fourth developers' commentary video. In it, Producer Naoki Yoshida and community team member Toshio Murouchi discuss and demonstrate the "Duty Finder," a feature that helps players to find and form balanced dungeon groups even while on different worlds. Once formed, the group will be automatically transported into the instance and then back to each member's original spot once completed. Before you run off to watch fireworks (if that's your thing), watch both the latest installment of the Eorzea tour and the devs' group-finding demo after the cut.
Final Fantasy XIV surpasses one million beta registrations
Square Enix sure is working hard to rejuvenate Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in the eyes of fans. After a promising showing at E3 this year and plenty of revamped content for the upcoming rebirth, Square says that over one million people have registered for the MMO's beta. The August 27th launch date is right around the corner, and these beta numbers could mean that the desired trust has been regained after the original launch failure in 2010. "In the 25-year history of the Final Fantasy series, there hasn't been a Final Fantasy that has failed. We can't -- we just can't -- let this game end in failure," game director Naoki Yoshida said last year in an interview with Eurogamer. If you'd like to find out more about the FFXIV beta and our impressions so far, check out Eliot's continuing coverage.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase (E)3
The third phase of Final Fantasy XIV's beta is here, and with it, the NDA is summarily gone. Images from phase 3 can be posted; video and audio cannot. This is the fast track to finally being back in the game for real, to play your old characters once again, to enjoy the game again. Am I excited? Of course I am because I haven't been able to play yet. I'm writing this from the past, and by the time you read this, I will be awash in Eorzea. There was also a major industry event this week, one that's known officially as the Electronic Entertainment Expo and known more colloquially to everyone in the world as E3. Final Fantasy XIV was there making an impression, revealing jobs at long last, and generally carrying on as if it owned the place. So let's talk a little bit about what we saw from E3 if you can tear yourself away from the beta client for, like, five minutes.
E3 2013: Final Fantasy XIV gets PlayStation 4 berth
While we've known for some time that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will be coming out on the PlayStation 3 later this year, we have new confirmation that the title will be making the jump to the console's baby brother. FFXIV was announced as one of PlayStation 4's upcoming games in 2014 at the Sony E3 keynote address, as Sony has the exclusive rights to the title. While there isn't a set date for the PS4 release, Square-Enix Producer Naoki Yoshida encouraged console fans to start playing on the PS3 and make the switch later, as character data will be transferrable between the versions. "While waiting for PlayStation 4 there is no reason not to start your adventure on the PlayStation 3," he said. The release of the updated Final Fantasy XIV for the PC and PS3 will happen on August 27th. You can watch the new E3 trailer for FFXIV after the jump. [Thanks to William for the tip!]
Final Fantasy XIV coming this summer, next beta phase starting in June
Executive Producer Naoki Yoshida has a couple of significant announcements concerning the testing and release of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. He's excited to announce that the relaunch of the title will be happening in "summer 2013," with a more specific date to be announced by the end of May. He also said that details and pre-orders for the collector's edition will be coming this month as well. "The whole team has been working at full throttle to ensure the game will be ready for a summer release," Yoshida said. "It won't be long before you can mark your calendars and begin the final countdown!" Before the launch happens, however, phase 3 of beta testing needs to happen. This will start at the beginning of June, according to Yoshida. Phase 3 is notable in that it will be the first time that the PlayStation 3 version of FFXIV will be included in the beta testing.
The Mog Log: Pushing back on Final Fantasy XIV
Among the things I'm reluctant to talk about early when it comes to Final Fantasy XIV are the live letters from Naoki Yoshida. There's always a thread rapidly updating players on what is said during those letters, but that thread is filled with quick translations that may or may not be accurate, and I'd prefer not to analyze and speculate on information that may have been misconstrued. The man speaks in dense blocks of information. To my surprise, this week we got the full translation of the latest live letter, and something that struck me was how much of the game we're still being told is just over the horizon. This is not to say that I don't believe in Yoshi-P; Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 showed that if he promises something, it will be delivered. But there are a lot of things being held back for later, and honestly it's a little disconcerting for someone waiting eagerly for the game to come out.
Checking out the 44th Final Fantasy XIV producer's letter
Final Fantasy XIV has been ramping up to A Realm Reborn, the massive reboot that has fans excited and nervous at the same time. In the hopes of whetting fan appetites even further, Naoki Yoshida is letting players know just what's cooking via a new producer's letter. It turns out that gamepad users have reason to be excited for phase two beta testing. It might be standing room only, though, as 100,000 testers have joined up so far. It's caused some issues on the servers but a weekend of tweaks to FATE-related performance issues might help loosen things up a bit. That is until phase two kicks in and even more testers are welcomed. After all, how else can you stress test a server? Phase two testing should begin in early April, so grab your controller and jump in if you can. There's also news about phase three testing! Guildhests, which are based on behests from version 1.0, will welcome groups of players even from early levels. They are supposed to be a great way to party with friends before going out and tackling the big stuff.
Massively Exclusive: A dinner with Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida
Having a conversation with Naoki Yoshida can be a very intimidating exercise. It's not because of his demeanor; he's friendly, genial, and has an obvious sense of humor. No, it's because there's an unmistakable level of energy to him, a huge amount of passion and ambition that drives everything he talks about. He's exactly the sort of person who would try something completely insane like remaking a game from the ground up after burning the first version to the ground, for example. I had the opportunity to sit down for a one-on-one dinner with Yoshida at the Final Fantasy XIV preview event, during which we talked a great deal both about the upcoming relaunch of the game as well as his own experiences in remaking everything. For those of us who play Final Fantasy XIV, it's obviously an exciting time, but for Yoshida, what's happening now is the culmination of work that started only a month after he took over control of a game that he had to revitalize after a horrible flop on launch.
