Letter from the Producer, LIII (12/27/2013)

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

Though I realize the wait was long, we're proud to have finally delivered our first major update: Patch 2.1—A Realm Awoken. Everyone here on the team is exhausted, but we're just as excited as you are, and fatigue certainly hasn't stopped us from enjoying the newly awoken realm of Eorzea

This year has been an eventful one, both for our team and all of you who have supported us through it all. It was only a year ago that we concluded alpha testing for A Realm Reborn, followed by the beta test which started in February of this year. Before we knew it, players were preparing for the mad dash that was Early Access, and before we knew it release day was upon us—a release not without its problems, for which I once again sincerely apologize. While it feels as though we've come so far, it's only been four months since official service began. Looking back at all that has come to pass in such a short amount of time, it really makes me wonder where the hours go.

But here we are, three years since the initial release of FFXIV in 2010. With the support of you—our players—and FINAL FANTASY fans around the world, we successfully fulfilled our promise of breathing new life into FFXIV. It was certainly no easy feat, and as a relatively unknown figure in the gaming industry, assuming the role of producer and director has been as challenging for me personally as rebuilding the game from scratch. The revival of FFXIV would still be nothing but a dream if not for your encouragement, always spurring us forward. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for standing by us in this ambitious endeavor. We're truly fortunate to have fans as dedicated as you.

Patch 2.1—A Realm Awoken has introduced various new systems and features to the game, but several bugs have also managed to slip through. Although we've managed to address most of these issues by now, I would like to apologize for any trouble these bugs and the resulting maintenances have caused. Also, to follow up on my recent post regarding housing prices, I'd just like to assure you that we will be monitoring the sales of land across all Worlds, making adjustments to the floor price of plots accordingly. Please stay tuned for future announcements.

With this fifty-third letter, our work for the year is for the most part finished. However, in order to continue monitoring the game and swiftly address any issues that arise, brave members of the development team will be battling the evils of Eorzea as Warriors of Light over our short holiday break. (We take this very seriously. As a matter of fact, there are several people who've already left for battle and have yet to return to work...)

Thanks to all of you, 2013 has been a great success, and with your continued support, I'm confident that 2014 will be even better!
See you next time, on the forums, or in Eorzea! :)