From Vegas with love.
Fittingly this Fan Fest was hosted in Las Vegas, the theme park of America.
The queue for merch is endless and the store quickly sells out.
The Starbucks next door is perpetually overflowing.
Yoshida wore aTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesT-shirt, a hint to future in-game Jobs that had fans speculating all weekend.
Big announcements at the opening ceremony.
The game’s famous trial meme has been extended to include Stormblood.
There are tacos everywhere.
Some of them literally are.
Even Yoshida leapt into the front row of the audience to watch.
it’s possible for you to buy the band’s guitars too.
this producer’s insane (said fondly)pic.twitter.com/71dJsOP2lK
TIME TO ROCK!
This marked the first time the two had performed together live in-person, after featuring on official recordings.
No recordings or photos were allowed - instead this was a special moment just for those in attendance.
The audience was silent, spellbound.
Keiko and Amanda Achen perform at the piano concert.
This might seem frivolous, but it’s the small details that are most appreciated by players.
Character customisation is hugely important - fans want to play, and look, their best.
That transfers to cosplay too.
Costumed fans were everywhere throughout the weekend, dressed as either their own character or their favourite NPC.
Some were dressed as the heavily memed low-poly grapes.
Murmurs spread throughout the event: have you seen the stack marker?!
When one cosplayer took a tumble, the audience applauded in support, not laughter.
So what is it about this community that’s so overwhelmingly positive?
And why is Fan Fest so important to them?
She’s a Final FantasyYouTuberandTwitch streamerwith a focus on game guides.
And to me that is the motivation that I need to keep doing it."
And that’s such a cool thing."
“People didn’t put up with toxicity from the beginning, and that stuck around as it grew.
Day 2 of the#FFXIVFan Festival 2023 in Las Vegas: COMMENCE!
Be sure to sign the Altar of Heroes Graffiti Wall on your way in!
“I think all of that does have an effect on players.
It feels like the community has continued to reinforced that positivity ever since.
For Rook, MMOs are all about their community: taking journeys together with people from around the globe.
“And Fan Fest is so perfectly in spirit with that,” she said.
The pandemic also had a major impact on the community - and the popularity of this particular Fan Fest.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended the#FFXIVFan Festival 2023 in Las Vegas this year!
We had an amazing time and we hope you all enjoyed the festivities.See you in London in October!
The warmth, passion, and solidarity of the community overflowed into the closing ceremony following The Primals concert.
Each developer took to the stage to say a few words and the tears fell on both sides.
Both Yoshida and Ishikawa could barely speak through sobs, their translator also choking up.
Their enthusiasm is infectious too.
Final Fantasy 14 has been a 10-year passion project for its development team, Yoshida in particular.
Can we expect another 10 years of magical worlds, emotional storytelling, and community support?
“I intend to continue until I die,” said Yoshida at the keynote.
“Or even afterwards.”
But to this community, Yoshida is already immortal.
