SE Worker and Player Appreciation Post

(reposting from Reddit)

I felt the need to post this as someone who is familiar with Japanese company culture, as well as someone who also has a lot of expectations for FFXIV that are not always met.

No one needs to be reminded of how much it sucks to work more than a 40+ hr work week in any country. Square Enix and many studios have a history of complaints about poor work conditions, pay, and work/life balance. I agree complaints about game development are valid for anyone who is unhappy with it; as a player your feedback matters. I also highly encourage anyone who is unsatisfied to think critically about how conditions and pay can affect anyone\\'s motivation to do their best, even if you love something.

I also firmly believe that Square and the game itself have benefited greatly from player work. The contests for hair and housing items, the feedback people take the time to provide, the reports we make on bugs or other issues, the free marketing, and the subscriptions are only a portion of how players contribute. Players and the staff are the success of the game, both their input is valuable.

So no, maybe nothing will change for staff that can help with some of the issues that can appear to be due to, quite frankly, poor upper management, nor do I firmly expect it to overnight. But these thoughts on direction of the game and it\\'s production cannot ignore the people who put their labor into it every day. So regardless of how I feel on any change, I\\'m putting a big thank you out to all the VAs, all the testers, the proofreaders, the design staff, the story writers for getting this out on a tight schedule while also having to go through a pandemic, another FF game, and all the stress everyone can relate to.

If you want to just post in response to say appreciation to floor workers for Creative Studio 3 and their contracted staff, please do so :) if you know a FFXIV player you feel has contributed to your game experience, feel free to share.

I want to voice appreciation and support for the game devs and all of the invisible people behind the famous faces we know. So many people are harnessing their energy to make content and sustain this world. Sure, it might always be something we wanted or hoped for, but out of a morass of the gaming industry, I think CBU3 represents its better side (like Larian). Historically, they've made mistakes, but they owned up to them and worked to set them right. During Endwalker, I saw a lot of QoL changes that I deeply appreciated, like the checkmarks on items I already own, more glamor plates, or enhanced UI/UX options. Even more recently, they've been working hard to ensure that my Keeper catboi retains his fangs. I'm sure that there will be stuff in the future that I'm uneasy or unhappy about, but my lasting sentiments are that of gratitude, appreciation, and respect for the team at CBU3. I'm wishing them many years of development!

I dont think the brown tint on your nose is your character's skin color.