Letter from the Producer, XXXII (07/23/2012)

Hello again, all you XIVers out there! Yoshi-P here, back with my 32nd missive.

First up, I just have to say, bloody hells it’s <i>hot</i>! The whole of Tokyo is like a blacksmith’s forge this time of year, and I couldn’t survive without AC. I’m about to fly over to Shanghai, which is even hotter than Tokyo. While there, though, I can sweat it out in style with some fiery Szechuan cuisine! In case you’re wondering, I’ll be going for official version 2.0 business. :p

As I mentioned via press releases a while back, Square Enix has entered into a strategic partnership with SNDA, a major Chinese video game developer. With their cooperation, we’ll be bringing FFXIV version 2.0 to China, which boasts the largest online gaming community in the world. This is one market that no global online operation can ignore, ours included.

Official service in China is scheduled to commence a while after version 2.0’s global launch, and so I thought it’d be good to check out ChinaJoy, the nation’s largest video game expo. We’re not necessarily timing it with the event, but the new promo site will be unveiled very soon. Between the site’s kickoff, gamescom 2012 in August, and the FINAL FANTASY 25th anniversary event, we’ll be releasing a flood of info.

In order to convey FFXIV’s allure from a fresh perspective, we plan to release the info in stages—from lore, scenario, and characters, to the game system itself. Some things are bound to stir criticism, and I’ll be watching fan reaction with great interest.

As for my keywords, I’d like to tentatively go with rebirth, challenge, reform, and—last but not least—FINAL FANTASY. :p

Many considerations went into deciding our publicity policy, and all materials were picked for a reason. In the letters to come, though, I hope to be able to reveal more things to you—things I normally keep my mouth sealed about.

Patch 1.23, which marks the final stage of the current version, is scheduled to go live on July 26. With the events of the Seventh Umbral Era coming to a head, the team spared no effort on delivering a battle that has “FINAL FANTASY” written all over it. The greatest trial of the age awaits all you adventurers out there!

But wait, there’s more! In addition to the above, we’ll also be bringing you <i>Skirmish</i>, which is designed to be fuss-free battle content you can jump right into. I hope you all look forward to that as well.

Oh, and there’s the much-awaited summer festival. As I’ve already mentioned in a forum post, yukata will be up for grabs this year!
<center>
<img src="http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/topics/images/f0/30/5308_1.jpg"> <img src="http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/topics/images/f0/30/5308_3.jpg">

<img src="http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/topics/images/f0/30/5308_2.jpg"> <img src="http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/topics/images/f0/30/5308_0.jpg"> <img src="http://static.finalfantasyxiv.com/topics/images/f0/30/5308_4.jpg"></center>
Um...right. As you can see, in keeping with Japanese fashion, the yukata are kinda...short. I must apologize in advance to those who prefer traditional full-length types. You see, some people on the team have certain...inclinations. /lol

To recap, the 1.23 series of patches is about to land, bringing with it the grand finale for the Seventh Umbral Era. On top of this, we’ll be releasing a slew of information as promotional activities commence for version 2.0. You won’t be able to keep your eyes off of FFXIV this summer!

Aaand that’s a wrap for today’s letter. See you next time and/or on the forums! :)