Next month,Final Fantasy 14will host the first of three planned Fan Fests at the Las Vegas Convention Center. WhileFinal Fantasy 14players that werelucky enough to get a ticketare busy making their preparations, the main attractions will also be available for free. A few topics will be featured during the North American Fan Fest next month, with more details on them coming later at the European Fan Fest in London in late October, and the Japan Fan Fest in early January.
The Las Vegas Fan Fest will be the first in-person convention forFinal Fantasy 14in four years, with the most recent being the 2019 Japan Fan Fest. This is made possible by the gradual scaling back of COVID-19 health regulations across the globe.Much like E3 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Square Enix to convert the 2021 Fan Fest into a digital-only event. While masks and vaccinations will not be required, Square Enix stated that they will be strongly recommended.
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Looking to the Past and to the Future
This year,Final Fantasy 14is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its relaunch asA Realm Reborn, which came about after the disastrous 1.0 release fell flat. T 10th anniversary will coincide with “The Rising” holiday in-game this August, in which players receive an annual message from game producer and director Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida, who may offer a hint into what lies ahead. Considering the significance of the 10th anniversary ofA Realm Reborn, attendees should expect Yoshida to touch upon that topic at some point during Fan Fest and may ask players in attendance if they have any memorable experiences from the game’s relaunch during the opening keynote.
However, one of the biggest draws for these Fan Fests will be news concerningthe next expansion forFinal Fantasy 14followingEndwalker. Dubbed “7.0” by the community, it has some big shoes to fill afterEndwalkerconcluded a major saga that had spanned the entirety of the game up to that point. As it stands, the current main story arc has served to bridge the gap between expansions and serve as a love letter to past games in the series, especiallyFinal Fantasy 4. As such, the name of the next expansion will almost certainly be revealed in Las Vegas next month.
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The Eikon in the Room
Though Yoshida may remain tight-lipped on certain story-related topics for Final Fantasy 14’s next expansion, the North American Fan Fest will happen one month after the release ofFinal Fantasy 16.As a result, Yoshida may reveal more details aboutthe much-anticipated crossover between the two entries. Given his positions as the producer for bothFinal Fantasy 14andFinal Fantasy 16, Yoshida has played upon that fact with jokes about “speaking with theFinal Fantasy 16producer” concerning any crossover-related news. As a result, Yoshida may choose to dedicate a few minutes during the keynote address toFinal Fantasy 16, and what players can expect to see from it inFinal Fantasy 14.
However, that will not be the only news concerning Eikons or Primals at Fan Fest. During theLetter from the Producer Live broadcast on May 12, Yoshida revealed that attendees will get early access to “The Gilded Araya” trial in which players can face Queen Asura, one of the Eidolons fromFinal Fantasy 4. Between the trial, the name of the nextFinal Fantasy 14expansion will be, and whatever new Jobs will make their debut alongside it,Final Fantasyfans will have plenty to talk about soon.
Final Fantasy 14is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
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