2026 FanFests

[OdrN]

Since when we have an expansion every 3 years?
We should have a 7.6 to fill the gap at this rate...
I'm not happy with that.

[Jeeqbit]

I told everyone it would be 2027. My predictions for the dates were...

NA Fanfest
Prediction: 27th February - 2nd March 2026
Reality: April 24th-25th

EU Fanfest
Prediction: Late May/Early June 2026
Reality: July 25/26th 2026

JP Fanfest
Prediction: Late July/Early August 2026
Reality: October 31st - November 1st 2026

The first 2 fanfests suggest the patch cycle is set to be thrown off by 1 month. JP Fanfest suggest it is likely to be thrown off by 3 months. Why? Because remember, they have to do the media tour after JP fanfest and there is a good month of an embargo on that and at least a month before and after.

Now remember, there were 6 months between the JP Fanfest and 7.0.

Thus, we could see 8.0 all the way in May 4th 2027 (assuming 26 weeks after JP Fanfest like Dawntrail was), which is once again 3-4 months later than the expected time of January.

[ItsKylos]

I told everyone it would be 2027. My predictions for the dates were...

NA Fanfest
Prediction: 27th February - 2nd March 2026
Reality: April 24th-25th

EU Fanfest
Prediction: Late May/Early June 2026
Reality: July 25/26th 2026

JP Fanfest
Prediction: Late July/Early August 2026
Reality: October 31st - November 1st 2026

The first 2 fanfests suggest the patch cycle is set to be thrown off by 1 month. JP Fanfest suggest it is likely to be thrown off by 3 months. Why? Because remember, they have to do the media tour after JP fanfest and there is a good month of an embargo on that and at least a month before and after.

Now remember, there were 6 months between the JP Fanfest and 7.0.

Thus, we could see 8.0 all the way in the middle of March 2027 (assuming 21 weeks after JP Fanfest like Dawntrail was), which is once again 2-3 months later than the expected time of January.

Most probable is that we are going to see a SHB situation where the gap is only around 3 months. Physical events with reliance on 3rd parties doesn't really make the best form to predict an expansion. The 2.5 year gap is more reliable IMO.

[Asgon]

the patch release schedules and the released content in those are getting embarrassing at this point

[Avoidy]

This is grim. They didn't even soften the blow with a good Rising event. It was just another NPC walkathon leading to a minion of a character who exemplifies the kind of bad writing that DT is infamous for. Meanwhile, the real event was taking place in the cash shop, where there were hundreds of items on sale, a new outfit, and a scion minion. Scrolling by the sale items, it truly hit home that every single one of those things should have been an in game earnable reward, but weren't because the cash shop had to exist. Even the old event items should have simply returned yearly, alongside old npcs, with the option to simply run the old quest again for the old rewards. This way new people truly don't miss out on old event rewards. But no, gotta milk your subscribed players a little harder. And where's the money going? You can't afford to make content with longevity. You can't afford to make shorter patch cycles. You can't afford to ship a patch that works without several hotfixes. You can't afford to just release stuff on time without delays. Legit this game's just a cash cow now. Imagine if you ran an onlyfans account where you took money from guys every month, and then once every 4.5 months you'd put out like 3 poorly composed photographs that were just imitations of old pictures you took 10 years ago, and you quickly deleted them after a month so that anyone who joined you late would have to purchase those old images separately on your separate locked patreon or something. And you'd have like, a goal where every two years you'd release a really hype video, except now you can't even do that on time, and when you do release a video it's like hot garbage or includes some other character in there that nobody wants to see who keeps jumping in front of the camera and ruining the whole experience. It sounds like such a grift, such a terrible experience, but when Square does it, it's a 10/10 critically acclaimed mmo? Give me a break, man.

I've gotten a bit off topic, but yeah this has not been a good month for SE announcements. Each one was worse than the last, with this being the cherry on top. 8.0 being a bit late wouldn't even be so bad, if DT hadn't been such a dumpster fire expansion from pretty much every perspective except raiding -- and now even the raiders are leaving, because despite having this expansion tailor made for just them, baby didn't get his ultimate on time so now that's a wrap. There's a very real sense that we're just waiting around for 8.0 to be garbage as well.

[Jeeqbit]

I miscounted it because of how Windows calendar is.

8.0 could actually be more like May 4th 2027 and at that point they may as well just do June 2027 again and actually go for the most giant patch lull we've ever had.

[ItsKylos]

I miscounted it because of how Windows calendar is.

8.0 could actually be more like May 4th 2027 and at that point they may as well just do June 2027 again and actually go for the most giant patch lull we've ever had.

I really doubt it, will likely be January 2027 to follow the 2.5 years - don't follow fanfest dates for that, it's unreliable and has no set pattern (SHB - 3 Months)

[remiff]

I really doubt it, will likely be January 2027 to follow the 2.5 years - don't follow fanfest dates for that, it's unreliable and has no set pattern (SHB - 3 Months)

I posted the wait times between the last Fan Fest and the release, all calculated—it wasn’t 3 months but 8 months after the last Fan Fest for Shadowbringers.

[remiff]

4.0 – Stormblood 5 months
5.0 – Shadowbringers wait: 3 months
6.0 – Endwalker wait: 7 months
7.0 – Dawntrail Tokyo, January 7–8, 2024, release: July 2, 2024, wait: 6 months

8.0 release is for may 2027, But it could be early summer 2027.