Thread: 1.19 Producer Letter When?

The Bon holiday period has just started in Japan. This is the summer vacation period that usually lasts up to a week. Most people use the time to visit with family. Every company is different in terms of how long they'll let you take off, but I would imagine that there will be far fewer people around the FFXIV office next week. As producer, Yoshida will probably be putting in some overtime, but I wouldn't expect much development work to happen.

For those who are wondering, Japan has three major holiday periods: New Year's, Golden Week, and the Bon holiday period (a.k.a. Obon). That may sound like a lot, but it's balanced by the fact that you typically can't take extended vacations at other times. That means that even though you may have two weeks worth of vacation days in your contract, you're really not allowed to spend them. People tend to use "vacation days" when they're sick or have to miss work for some unavoidable reason. Again, this varies from company to company, but that's usually how it works.

It's no coincidence that the FFXIV staff released the summer event when they did. It adds a nice chunk of summer-themed content for people to tackle over the Bon holiday. I would also guess that they will placate us a little by offering up a producer's letter next week. After all, that's what they did during Golden Week. (I believe the letter was written right before Golden Week began and then released during the early part of the week-long vacation.)

If they've really planned things out, they might also be holding a topics post for release next week. I think they realize it's important to keep a steady stream of information coming in order to hold interest. They're human: they need to rest. They need vacation time. But they also can't afford to make it seem like nothing is happening.