Final Fantasy XIV Producer Appears as In-Game NPC to Thank Players, Let Them Become Phoenix
By Heath | August 27, 2023 at 4:44 pm
Ten years ago this very day, Final Fanatsy XIV: A Realm Reborn‘s, uh, realm was, I mean, reborn. Launched under the original, basic title of Final Fantasy XIV in 2010, the undercooked MMORPG was met with absolutely disastrous reviews and unprecedented fan backlash. It was simply and quite obviously not ready for release. Subsciption fees were paused due to undeniable lack of quality, as the dev team scrambled to make things right.
What ended up happening was akin to the end of the world. As we know it. And I feel fine. And I let myself type those REM lyrics just now because it did work out that way.
Director/Producer Naoyuki Yoshida and his team mashed the big Meteor button and blew up the world. The original servers shut down and the game relaunched with its updated title, with the A Realm Reborn bit referencing not just the story, but actual status as a game that was essentially scrapped and rebuilt.
You still here? Cool, you’re the kind of person Yoshida would like to thank.
The new limited-time quest, available to any player level 15 or higher, starts unremarkably, with people musing about how and why they chose to become adventurers. One lad does quite a bit of soul searching, aided by other NPCs and the player’s avatar, of course.
Then, suddenly, the player is whisked away to the deck of an airship, where a man starts talking about adventures and journeys and destiny and — anyway, turns out, boom, that’s Naoki Yoshida. He straight up says it, by his own actual name. He thanks you for playing and gets a little bit personal about his own struggles (likely referring to the development, past and ongoing, of such a huge project).
With a poignant end, players see white text on a black screen. After some closure scenes with NPC adventurer friends, players receive a special mount: Rising Phoenix, symbolic of the game’s own death and rebirth.
Oh and when you ride that shit, you don’t actually ride it, you become the phoenix itself.
Not gonna lie, after it all went down, strolling around town, hearing the Answers lyrics “Walk free… walk free” echo through the streets and taking in everything that had just happened, I got emotional.
This fucking game.
From Development Hell to Heavensward: Final Fantasy XIV Summons Phoenix
By Russ | June 17, 2015 at 8:00 pm
We often speak of journeys as something dramatic or to be revered. In games and other epic activities, the journey is to defeat some terrible warlord or horrific wannabe god. In other media and occasionally real life, the phrase “I’m taking a journey to find myself.” comes to mind – often as the words some young adult or former spousal unit may utter to their friends before renting an apartment the next town over to find success and a new love. Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn takes both of these journeys – the virtual one players experience, and the moving to the next town over journey; and succeeds in creating an epic experience.
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MMORPGLand 9: The Games You Hate to Love
By Heath | October 26, 2010 at 9:53 pm
A man finds himself a little TOO into his favorite MMORPG, while others find themselves underwhelmed by one they’d been hotly anticipating. That and more in the new MMORPGLand.
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RPG scans: 15 RPGs for Oct. 23
By Heath | October 23, 2010 at 6:49 am
Magazine shots of 15 RPGs, spanning PC, PS3, PSP, DS, 360, and Mobile platforms. Highlights include new shots of Kingdom Hearts RE: Coded and Ni no Kuni for DS, and a look at Fallout New Vegas in Japanese.
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Final Fantasy MMORPG shots
By Heath | October 2, 2010 at 5:01 pm
With Final Fantasy‘s second MMO just out, Dengeki shows just a few looks at Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI (PS2/360/PC).
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Square Enix RPGs of TGS screenshots
By Heath | September 16, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Square Enix’s Tokyo Game Show RPGs shown in lots of screens here. let’s start with…
The Third Birthday (PSP)
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Final Fantasy XIV – 33 new screens
By Heath | September 9, 2010 at 12:49 am
New screens mostly focusing on locations and one CG story sequence in Final Fantasy XIV.
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Dengeki, Famitsu show more Final Fantasy XIV
By Heath | September 7, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Two Japanese magazines show the PC/PS3 MMO Final Fantasy XIV here.
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PS3 RPG scans including Tales of Graces port
By Heath | August 12, 2010 at 12:43 am
Neptune, Class of Heroes 3, Final Fantasy XIV, Trinity Zill O’ll Zero, White Knight 2, Agarest 2, and Tales of Graces, in that order:
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Various RPG scans Aug 5
By Heath | August 5, 2010 at 3:06 am
Scans of Final Fantasy XIV, White Knight Chronicles 2, Last Ranker, Inazuma Eleven 3, Tactics Ogre PSP remake, Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road Victory, Fable III, Patapon 3 (somehow an RPG), Xenoblade, and Yakuza New Chapter.
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