Jack of All Controllers

Recently, Easy Allies, a YouTube channel that covers video game content, interviewed Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers producer Naoki Yoshida about some questions concerning crunch time and balance changes for the game. At one point, Damiani, a member of Easy Allies, asked Yoshida about the possibility of a Final Fantasy XIV Legacy reboot, similar to the way Blizzard rebooted World of Warcraft at last year’s Blizzcon. Here’s what he had to say about the matter.

Nightmare.

That’s right folks, Yoshida, after hearing 1.0, immediately starting laughing, and after the question, said “Nightmare” without even requiring a translation. Of course, Damiani didn’t actually expect a reboot, so no harm no foul. But why did Yoshida laugh at this question?

For those who aren’t aware, Final Fantasy XIV’s initial launch in 2010 was quite literally a disaster and almost put a great dent in Square Enix. For starters, the UI was terrible. Everything is misplaced and it takes way too long to find what you’re looking for.

The leve (quest) system in the game is also broken, and depends heavily on grinding outside of the towns in the game. Other miscellaneous problems include random BSoD, the names being too visible and in the way, and the lack of a recipe book for the recipes in the game.

Yoshida had more to say about the topic, including that newer FF XIV players may want to experience the same thing as the Legacy players. He advises against ever doing anything like that because of how “bad” the game was.

Later in the interview, he talks about crunch at Square Enix and how Sunday is a mandatory off day, and if an employee works on a Saturday for too many weeks in a row, they get a week or two off. He talks about trying to reduce the workload on his employees after the expansion.

If you’d like to listen to the entire 20-minute interview, it’s available here. Laugh @ 4:35.