Hello,

I just wanted to take some time to share my thoughts about the new expansion Endwalker with you all. Also, I have issues putting my thoughts and feelings into words, so I apologize for any misunderstandings.

In October of this year, I lost both my brother and a good, longtime friend of mine. The untimeliness of both their deaths left me in a state of absolute shock and grief. For the longest time, I suffered mood swings, sleepless nights and feelings of loss and hopelessness. The only breaks I ever had from this pain was by playing games I enjoyed or by staying busy at work.

Something I will never get the chance to do is play Final Fantasy XIV with my brother. I originally invited him to play around the Heavensward-era, but overcrowding in the Aether data center put off our plans, which now will never come to fruition.

Fast forwarding to the release of Endwalker, all I wanted to do was enjoy the game I have been playing for so long. I was not expecting, however, that one of the themes of the main storyline would be life and death. As a result, I feel elements of the story are extremely relevant to me and I find that this story has gripped me much more than before. I’ll always miss my brother, but this story has provided me with a way of healing that I didn’t expect or think was possible.

I know the expansion has issues right now with crowded data centers, but I still enjoy the game regardless. Thank you, Yoshida and the whole development team, for your work on this wonderful expansion, and may you all keep up the great work.

P.S. don’t overwork yourselves too!