Does anyone know when we will be getting the next Q&A-style live letter?

[Amnmaat]

Would be great if someone working at Square Enix would state that.

[DrWho2010]

they tend to avoid making definitive statements on speculative topics because usually it comes back to bite them in the rear and so they just leave it up to people to endlessly speculate. everyone should just collectively forget about male viera and female hrothgar.

[Amnmaat]

Speculating forever blew up on their faces at the end of fanfest 2019, I don't think they want that to happen at every 2 year cycle.

[DrWho2010]

then you're going to be sorely disappointed. best to just forget.

[Vahlnir]

they tend to avoid making definitive statements on speculative topics because usually it comes back to bite them in the rear and so they just leave it up to people to endlessly speculate. everyone should just collectively forget about male viera and female hrothgar.

Forget? Nah. Temper expectations? Yes.

[Zarkovitch]

Forget? Nah. Temper expectations? Yes.

This person gets it.

[linayar]

Ok, but doesn't that just mean we won't get races after the Viera and Hrothgar?
I feel like people are reading into that a bit much...

You're right that it doesn't, but I think it's leaning that way because:

Well, races and genders are two different things :P.

A gender is a different body shape, voice, and certain emotes/poses. So if they planned on releasing the missing genders eventually, I think it would've been better to release a full race first followed by the other race.

[Arngrim_Greyashe]

Well, races and genders are two different things :P.

In a technical and design sense, no, they're not. They act as a new race entirely because they have to make models, make animations for them, adjust all existing and future gear for them, make new emotes and adjust old ones to work on their model, and a few other things. They're the exact same as creating a new race, from a technical standpoint.

[Theodric]

FFXIV is an MMO, so taking everything as absolutes isn't very wise. Just because the development team say that something is going to happen, it doesn't mean it will. Equally, just because they say something isn't going to happen, it doesn't mean it won't.

[Amnmaat]

FFXIV is an MMO, so taking everything as absolutes isn't very wise. Just because the development team say that something is going to happen, it doesn't mean it will. Equally, just because they say something isn't going to happen, it doesn't mean it won't.

Tell that to world of warcraft players and see the pushback you'd get with that statement.
I know white knighting is strong but let's be real, they're a company selling a product and a service, their statements have to be held into account.

They can be honorable and just be more precise and say "the missing genders won't happen in the next few expansions, that's what we can say for now." That would garner more respect than "if we can find a solution to the problem we'll add them."
Then all we get next expansion is 2 jobs and msq (and the same playground with new paint: FATES, etc) that's not going to end well for them. There were already rumblings about how underwhelming the Stormblood fanfests were.