FFXVI and XIV connection theory

[SilversLyu]

Fan service is definitely why XVI's Cid is also named Cidolfus and just happens to be the dominant of a thunder God. Well a thunder Ekion. Or why in E10 the background to that fight is X's Thunder planes. And actually that boss design makes a lot more sense. Not sure why it just took me this long. As Ixion is X's thunder Aeion/summon and so of course it got combined with Ramuh. All the while of being apart of a love letter to VIII.

Funnily enough that went over my head as well, the FFX reference is so spot on yet so subtle. But when it comes to fanservice, yeah it is easier to keep it that way or be not too specific about it or they would risk opening all sorts of problems with convoluted things like the multiverse, and it rarely is included in media as it is. If you look at time travel that can be seen more often, and that one already is convoluted as heck so the multiverse doubles down on it even. Which is not to say it is impossible, in a tiny and vague scale they are doing this already with the likes of Fran, but they also dont want to bloat FFXIV with other FF's too much I can imagine, keeping it original.

[Cleretic]

Funnily enough that went over my head as well, the FFX reference is so spot on yet so subtle. But when it comes to fanservice, yeah it is easier to keep it that way or be not too specific about it or they would risk opening all sorts of problems with convoluted things like the multiverse, and it rarely is included in media as it is. If you look at time travel that can be seen more often, and that one already is convoluted as heck so the multiverse doubles down on it even. Which is not to say it is impossible, in a tiny and vague scale they are doing this already with the likes of Fran, but they also dont want to bloat FFXIV with other FF's too much I can imagine, keeping it original.

Final Fantasy does use its multiverse for stories, but it confines them solely to the Dissidia games, and Stranger of Paradise (which is basically a Dissidia game from another direction). Well, and Gilgamesh.

Which is a good idea, because it stops any Final Fantasy game's setting, story and characters from imposing itself as somehow more important. You can have your fun over in the big silly crossovers where Shantotto and Ultimecia have a sick-burn-off, Y'shtola decides the best use of her time is to troll Squall, and the Type-0 kids get to enjoy not living in a horrific hellscape of eternal war. Meanwhile, the stories can be told standalone without interfering with each other.

...hell, they tried to do things differently once, and it's one of the multiple reasons that FFIV The After Years is widely disliked among the fanbase. Pretty good reason they abandoned that approach to linking the games together. (Protip, do not imply that every single other FF cast and world has died to your villain, you'll piss off everyone who prefers them)