Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest Europe concluded a couple of weeks ago, and after attending, I felt as though it was a joyous celebration of not only FF14 but all things Final Fantasy.
Final Fantasy 14 Fanfest is a celebration of all things FF14. The behemoth MMO is entering its round of teasers for an upcoming expansion, as well as celebrating 10 years of the game in its current iteration. Held in London’s Excel Center, we headed over to see exactly what Square Enix has in store for players.
The festival kicked off with a palpable atmosphere of excitement, as the latest trailer for the upcoming named “Dawntrail” debuted. Showing off new character moments, as well as a brand-new class, the audience erupted in rapturous cheering and applause. It was clear that almost everyone in attendance was a die-hard Final Fantasy fan.
Director Naoki Yoshida took to the stage and dazzled the audience, while decked out in a bespoke cosplay of the forthcoming “Viper” class, which is kitted out with two swords, and promises a more technical melee DPS class that players can look forward to. Dawntrail, as the name might imply, marks a new chapter for Final Fantasy 14. The previous expansion, Endwalker, concluded a storyline that was ten years in the making.
Everyone knows the story by now, Final Fantasy 14 was initially released to dire reception, and eventually, the development team had to start anew, with a new director, and a new approach. A Realm Reborn revitalized Final Fantasy 14 and enabled it to become the behemoth MMO it is today.
To regain player trust, the developers began sharing regular updates on development, and what to expect from each patch. This decade-long bond between player and developer has become abundantly clear, as Naoki Yoshida and localization director Koji Fox both had a great rapport with the audience throughout the keynote.
A respect for heritage
Also in attendance at the festival was Hironobu Sakaguchi, who was one of the initial creators of the Final Fantasy series. In a panel, he detailed his journey throughout Final Fantasy 14, and how he eventually cleared the most difficult content in the game, as well as starting his own “boutique” fashion brand within the title.
But, Sakaguchi’s descent into Final Fantasy 14 was also due to the sheer number of mainline FF titles that FF14 chooses to evoke throughout your time with it. There are a huge number of FF4 references in Dawntrail, and the MMO even brought veteran writer Yasumi Matsuno back to write a questline based around Final Fantasy Tactics. So, it’s often claimed that Final Fantasy 14 is just a big Final Fantasy theme park, and the organizers of Fan Fest in London clearly understood the assignment at hand.
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Fan Fest was like a big Final Fantasy theme park
Of course, Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest isn’t just a room with some development panels. Instead, the show floor was peppered with recreations of various locations from within Final Fantasy 14. From Ul’dah, to Limsa Lominsa and the Gold Saucer itself, each location was flush with carnival-style activities to partake in, and they were all incredibly well thought-out. Fishing in Limsa Lominsa proved to be a huge hit, as was the “crafting” section, where attendees could make and take home an FF14-themed badge.
One of my favorite aspects of the event was the Golden Saucer. Each attendee is given a “cactpot” ticket, a lottery that exists in-game, and the activity works 1:1 with its FF14 counterpart, with attendees able to take home huge prizes, by the luck of the draw.
Killer cosplays
There were also dedicated photo spots, which were flush with props to hold and statues to take photos nearby. Considering the number of intricately designed cosplays showcased at the event, it sometimes felt as if we were walking through Eorzea itself. On the second day of the event, we were also treated to a cosplay walk, where attendees could flaunt their cosplay skills. It was a delight to be treated to the careful fanmade recreations of in-game characters, and it’s clear that the community still supports the decade-old game.
Naoki Yoshida teases more collaborations
With FF14 being a huge money-maker for Square Enix, according to recent earnings reports, it’s no wonder that the team wishes to keep players engaged. We had the chance to pose Naoki Yoshida a question during a roundtable interview held after hours at Fanfest itself, with the director promising that popular collaborations such as FF15 and Yokai Watch will return. The team is also considering bringing back additional limited events, should the community clamor for them again.
Additionally, Dawntrail will also introduce a Final Fantasy 11-themed Alliance Raid series, which promises to be a huge throwback for fans of the series’ original MMO, which debuted in 2002. But, with Dawntrail slated for release, it might be a while before we hear more about the titles themselves.
We’ll have to wait until the next Fan Fest for more Dawntrail details
The next time we’re going to hear further details from the FF14 development team about the new expansion will be at Japan’s edition of Fan Fest, slated to be held on January 7th, 2024. But, if we were to say one thing about Fan Fest, it’s that there should be a Final Fantasy theme park. The series is rich enough to have many different areas, and the possibilities for the number of attractions you could experience are near endless. When are we going to get to explore a real-life Midgar, or Valisthea?
