Letter from the Producer, XLV (05/10/2013)

Hello again to all of you eagerly awaiting FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. I know I haven't been pumping out letters as often as I used to, but we've all been working feverishly in preparation for phase 3 of the beta test. Nevertheless, I couldn't let another day go by without bringing you the forty-fifth Letter from the Producer!

We recently attended the Niconico Chokaigi 2 event here in Japan, and I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who showed up in person, as well as all of you who tuned in from afar. After traveling overseas to events last year like E3, Japan Expo, and Gamescom, it was nice to finally have one here at home. In case you haven't heard through the grapevine yet, we made two important announcements at the event, which I'd like to go over in this letter.

First and foremost, FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn will be released in summer 2013. It will be a worldwide release for the PC and PlayStation 3, available in Japanese, English, French, and German. At the end of the month we'll announce the release date, along with pricing and details on the collector's edition. We'll also start accepting preorders at the end of the month.

Our second important announcement was that phase 3 will start at the beginning of June. Phase 3 will include a multitude of changes based on feedback from the first and second phases, as well as the long-awaited commencement of PlayStation 3 testing. But that's not all—we're also adding Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa, nearly one hundred new FATE encounters, four additional dungeons, main scenario quests up to level 20, grand companies, provisioning missions, free companies; we're making revisions to the battle system, testing the transfer of characters from version 1.0—the list goes on and on. I've been working around the clock, double and triple checking everything along the way, so sit tight and phase 3 will be here before you know it!

It's not just me though—the whole team has been working at full throttle to ensure the game will be ready for a summer release. It won't be long before you can mark your calendars and begin the final countdown!

With phase 2 of the beta test now at an end, I know our beta testers are feeling a bit anxious waiting for phase 3. If the forums are any indication, a good number of you seem to be going through withdrawal, which is a good thing...I think. Anywho, since you all still have a while to wait until phase 3, I found a little something that might help tide you over.

<img src="http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/topics/images/bc/08/9403_0.jpg">

<img src="http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/topics/images/bc/08/9403_1.jpg">

Well, that's all I can give you for now. I'll see you all next time in my seventh LIVE letter. And not long after that, I'll be headed to E3. If you're in America, make sure to drop by!! :)