Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest NA Has Been Cancelled, Patch 5.3 Delayed
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues its deadly course, numerous video game companies and development studios have already opted to cancel events and conventions that were supposed to be held this year. The latest one to be pulled is Square Enix’s annual North American Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival which was scheduled for November in San Diego, California. FFXIV Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida broke the unfortunate news to fans yesterday in his latest Letter from the Producer.
“The North American Fan Festival was scheduled to be held in San Diego half a year from now in November, but after much deliberation we have made the difficult decision to cancel proceedings.
Although we have been moving forward with various arrangements to adapt to the unfolding pandemic, we ultimately feel that we cannot guarantee the health and safety of the attendees, performers, or company staff members who would be present at the event. Thus it is with great regret that we arrive at this conclusion, and I offer my sincere apologies to all who were looking forward to enjoying the festivities.”
The FFXIV Fan Fests in Europe and Japan, however, will still be proceeding as planned. Yoshida assures North American fans that they’re already looking at hosting an alternative event in early 2021. Whether it will be a live or a digital event is still being discussed. “In adhering to the safety guidelines and requirements set forth by national and local governments, it is likely that future events will experience a number of restrictions,” Yoshida explains. “As such, we are not only exploring a physical event, but also looking into alternative ways to realize the event digitally. We will share news of our progress as things start to take shape, so please stay tuned for more information.”
“[. . .] We intend to carefully monitor the state of the coronavirus pandemic, and proceed with events as the situation dictates,” he adds. “Rather than simply push to have the festivals go forward as planned, we feel it is more important that everyone, from the players to the staff on the development and operations teams, is able to come together and enjoy these events wholeheartedly and without worry. Again, we will continue to keep you informed of any changes or other developments regarding these events as they occur.”
Yoshida also announced that the Final Fantasy XIV Patch 5.3, which was initially scheduled to go live on June 16th, will be delayed by more than a month because of the challenges of working from home. The producer says that they are now currently operating at 85-90% of their development capabilities and are working hard to keep the delay as short as possible.
