Letter from the Producer, LII (12/04/2013)

Hello again, all of you FFXIVers out there! Yoshi-P here, bringing you my fifty-second Letter from the Producer.

I know we've kept you all waiting, but our first major update, Patch 2.1 — A Realm Awoken, will go live in just two more weeks. The need for server and system improvements shortly after release delayed our original schedule, but the dev team is hard at work on final debug checks in preparation for the December 17 release.

I've finished all my own checks, but we still have to make final difficulty adjustments for the three extreme primal battles, Good King Moggle Mog XII, the new Ultima Weapon battle, the Crystal Tower, and the Wolves' Den. There are also a few balance adjustments left to be made, and the battle team is almost done ironing out the last few details.

I was hoping to sneak in another round of screenshots for you guys, but a new trailer for the patch is coming in a few days. The last thing I want to do is spoil all of Assistant Director Takai and Sound Director Soken's hard work. It should be ready for release by the weekend, so please wait just a little while longer.

On an unrelated note, I have some great news to share with you all. At this year's PlayStation Awards ceremony, held on December 3, FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn received the Special Award!

This wouldn't have been possible if not for the support of our fans from Version 1.0 as well as newcomers to A Realm Reborn, along with the incredible efforts of the development team. Words aren't enough to express my gratitude to you, our players, and the staff here on the FFXIV team.

During the ceremony, we also made an announcement for the PlayStation 4 release. We plan to release the game in April 2014, with beta testing starting on Febuary 22, 2014. Furthermore, we'll be accepting applications for testers from all regions. We also gave a short demonstration of the PS4's share function and remote play. If any of you are interested in playing on the PS4, be sure to check out videos of the PlayStation Awards online.

I know you're all eager for more information about the upcoming patch as well as the PlayStation 4, and you'll be sure to get your fill during the upcoming Letter from the Producer LIVE on December 14.

The livestream will cover the second half of our patch 2.1 exclusive, including the Wolves' Den, the first genuine player versus player combat in the FF series; Treasure Hunt and daily Beast Tribe Quests, new ways for players to enjoy the game solo; and of course, we'll be answering all of the questions you're dying to have answered. We may even reveal the price of land and houses!

Of course, the LIVE letter wouldn't be complete without information on the PlayStation 4 release, and we plan to give you all a sneak peek at actual gameplay footage! "Will it run without breaking the console?" "How are the graphics?" "What about remote play?" The answers to all of these questions and more will be answered during the next LIVE letter, so you won't want to miss it.

The year is almost over, but with our first big update just around the corner, FFXIV: ARR is just getting warmed up. We're giving it our all to ensure the first big update goes smoothly, and we hope you enjoy what we have in store for you.

It's time for me to return to work, but I'll see you all soon in my eleventh LIVE letter. Until next time! :)