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Final Fantasy XIV Director Teases Future Cameos
The classic Final Fantasy homages littered throughout the world of Eorzea have always been a highlight of Final Fantasy XIV. We asked director Naoki Yoshida if we can expect more, and what would be his personal pick for a cameo.
We've seen some cool ones make their way into the MMO, such as VIII's Triple Triad card game and more recently the Gold Saucer. New expansion Heavensward has floating continents, which are a callback to Final Fantasy VI. When asked if Square is planning more in the future, Yoshida seemed more focused on making Final Fantasy XIV unique, but did tease that he's thinking about more for the future.
"In terms of any future patches, which we call the 3.X series, especially in the first part of those series, we want to put more emphasis on what can be accomplished only with Final Fantasy XIV, more public and open content," Yoshida said via a translator. "[We] don't anticipate any blatant homages, like the Crystal Tower in the first part of the 3.X series, but there is an area of Crystal Tower, Eureka, that hasn't been explored in the past. That might be something that we want to explore maybe further down the line in the 3.X series patches."
He's heard tons of feedback from fans about what homages they'd like to see, including plenty of pining for the snowboarding minigame from Final Fantasy VII. One of Yoshida's hobbies is snowboarding, so that's something he said he might want to explore in the world of Final Fantasy XIV, but right now he's just considering it in leisure. "[I'm] taking time to think about it," Yoshida said.
Yoshida also seemed eager to continue putting in callbacks to other games. "We do plan on fairly regularly incorporating elements that classic Final Fantasy fans might look at and kind of grin, and understand the wink and the nudge," he said.
For more on Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, check out our recent coverage that details everything you need to know about the expansion.
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