How is it only...

[BlisteringFrost]

I logged in this morning and got the notice that we are having maintenance for patch 7.38 on Tuesday.

And I thought to myself, by Altana, how is it only patch 7.38? And we still have over 5 months, nearly half a year still, before even the first fanfest where we get the first hints of 8.0 which means at least another year of the wet fart that this expansion has been.

Yawntrail feels like it is never going to end. The extended time between patches, the lackluster and lacking content, further crippled by the jobs themselves being in the worst state they have ever been is really hitting hard and it feels like SE didn't just drop the ball with DT, but put it down and walked away. I am trying real hard to stay optomistic while I play other games, but man its to the point of rediculousness now.

And the worst part is the wall of silence coming from SE. It makes it feel like they really just do not care at all anymore. And as a legacy, who remembers the time when we had a great community team, Yoshida was actually excited about XIV and there was a feeling that we actually had something to look forward to, it's just beyond perplexing that this is the stance they are taking when the game is at it's lowest point since 1.x

The mind just boggles.

They've been firing California based staff recently. They seem to have their priorities pretty straight right now.

[Underscore]

They've been firing California based staff recently. They seem to have their priorities pretty straight right now.

What does Square Enix firing staff in the US and Europe have to do with the quality of FFXIV?

[BlisteringFrost]

What does Square Enix firing staff in the US and Europe have to do with the quality of FFXIV?

I have no obligation to explain why the news when you can just go find the news for yourself.

[Hyperia]

I have no obligation to explain why the news when you can just go find the news for yourself.

What I could find out about what has been happening, this answer is from an AI:

The company announced layoffs on November 6, 2025, affecting an unknown number of employees in its North American (US) offices—along with Europe and the UK—as part of a "fundamental restructuring" of its overseas publishing operations to cut costs (aiming for ¥3 billion/$19.6 million in annual savings) and centralize control in Japan.

These cuts target support roles like IT, marketing, publishing, sales, QA, and business planning to create a "leaner and more agile" structure with a "globally integrated marketing strategy," building on similar 2024 layoffs that "didn't achieve desired results."

Instead of hiring replacements, Square Enix is consolidating development and resources in Japan (where most games are already made) and plans to automate 70% of QA/debugging with AI by 2027 via tools like generative AI research with the University of Tokyo. No sources mention new NA hires, rehiring, or outsourcing to new Western staff—it's explicitly about downsizing and efficiency.

This fits Square Enix's shift away from Western studios (many sold off previously) toward Japan-focused operations.

[BlisteringFrost]

What I could find out about what has been happening, this answer is from an AI:

The company announced layoffs on November 6, 2025, affecting an unknown number of employees in its North American (US) offices—along with Europe and the UK—as part of a "fundamental restructuring" of its overseas publishing operations to cut costs (aiming for ¥3 billion/$19.6 million in annual savings) and centralize control in Japan.

These cuts target support roles like IT, marketing, publishing, sales, QA, and business planning to create a "leaner and more agile" structure with a "globally integrated marketing strategy," building on similar 2024 layoffs that "didn't achieve desired results."

Instead of hiring replacements, Square Enix is consolidating development and resources in Japan (where most games are already made) and plans to automate 70% of QA/debugging with AI by 2027 via tools like generative AI research with the University of Tokyo. No sources mention new NA hires, rehiring, or outsourcing to new Western staff—it's explicitly about downsizing and efficiency.

This fits Square Enix's shift away from Western studios (many sold off previously) toward Japan-focused operations.

There's also some restructuring (see: new lead) in the localization team SE has on payroll.