Reminder that SE lied about 4 month (16 week) patch cycles.

[Raikai]

2.0-2.1: 16 weeks
2.1-2.2: 15 weeks
2.2-2.3: 15 weeks
2.3-2.4: 16 weeks
2.4-2.5: 12 weeks
2.5-3.0: 22 weeks (expansion release)
3.0-3.1: 20 weeks (apology given I recall)
3.1-3.2: 15 weeks
3.2-3.3: 15 weeks
3.3-3.4: 16 weeks
3.4-3.5: 16 weeks
3.5-4.0: 21 weeks (expansion release)
4.0-4.1: 16 weeks
4.1-4.2: 16 weeks
4.2-4.3: 16 weeks
4.3-4.4: 17 weeks
4.4-4.5: 16 weeks
4.5-5.0: 24 weeks (expansion release)
5.0-5.1: 17 weeks
5.1-5.2: 16 weeks
5.2-5.3: 26 weeks (covid delay)
5.3-5.4: 16 weeks
5.4-5.5: 18 weeks
5.5-6.0: 34 weeks (expansion release)
6.0-6.1: 18 weeks
6.1-6.2: 19 weeks
6.2-6.3: 20 weeks
6.3-6.4: 19 weeks
6.4-6.5: 20 weeks
6.5-7.0: 39 weeks (expansion release)
7.0-7.1: 19 weeks
7.1-7.2: 19 weeks
7.2-7.3: 19 weeks?

Wow, didn't realize the pre-expansion wait times skyrocketed through the years.

What's going to be for 8.0... 45 weeks?

[Masekase_Hurricane]

Wow, didn't realize the pre-expansion wait times skyrocketed through the years.

What's going to be for 8.0... 45 weeks?

Highley likely to be early summer next year so 45 weeks makes sense

[Jeeqbit]

Wow, didn't realize the pre-expansion wait times skyrocketed through the years.

It started with the release of Endwalker, which was delayed due to covid. After Endwalker release, they announced the patch cycle increase, and silently kept the delay that Endwalker had for the expansion release.

It used to be about a 5 month wait for an expansion, but the last two have been about 8 months or so.

[Daralii]

Wow, didn't realize the pre-expansion wait times skyrocketed through the years.

What's going to be for 8.0... 45 weeks?

Yoshida said that Dawntrail was a return to expansions always releasing in summer, so clearly it'll be a ~12 month gap between 7.55 and 8.0.

[Altina_Orion]

Yoshida said that Dawntrail was a return to expansions always releasing in summer, so clearly it'll be a ~12 month gap between 7.55 and 8.0.

I don't remember him saying that, could you provide a source? I remember him saying something at some point like he didn't like winter releases (in reference to EW) but I don't recall him saying expansions will be summer releases.

[XtremePrime]

Highley likely to be early summer next year so 45 weeks makes sense

That sounds extremely optimistic when we're getting 7.3 in August 2025, 5 months to 7.4, 5 more to 7.5 and then the presumable 45 weeks

[Altina_Orion]

That sounds extremely optimistic when we're getting 7.3 in August 2025, 5 months to 7.4, 5 more to 7.5 and then the presumable 45 weeks

This is correct. Despite their distaste for holiday releases, i imagine we will be seeing this update sometime in Q1 or early Q2 of 2027. That said, we should have had a fanfest announcement months ago so I'm not sure how to interpret that.

[Jeeqbit]

Yoshida said that Dawntrail was a return to expansions always releasing in summer, so clearly it'll be a ~12 month gap between 7.55 and 8.0.

It's not really possible with how the patch cycle is now. The patch cycle used to be exactly 2 years, allowing for them to consistently release in Summer. But when it's 2.5 years, they will forever alternate between early in the year and late in the year, unless they reduce the gap before expansion release to 5 months, in which case it'll get pushed by 3 months each expansion release.

[Raikai]

I just can't see XIV doing well after 7.5.5 if we have to wait almost a year for new stuff.

Unless the content we get for this second half of Dawntrail: 7.3/4/5 have such a longevity and replayability that can carry subs through most of that drought.

[Hallarem]

SE lying about something? SURELY NOT? lol