Next month, Final Fantasy 14 will host the first of three planned Fan Fests at the Las Vegas Convention Center. While Final Fantasy 14 players that were lucky enough to get a ticket are 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 for Final Fantasy 14 in 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.
Looking to the Past and to the Future
This year, Final Fantasy 14 is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its relaunch as A 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 of A 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 concerning the next expansion for Final Fantasy 14 following Endwalker. Dubbed "7.0" by the community, it has some big shoes to fill after Endwalker concluded 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, especially Final Fantasy 4. As such, the name of the next expansion will almost certainly be revealed in Las Vegas next month.
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 of Final Fantasy 16. As a result, Yoshida may reveal more details about the much-anticipated crossover between the two entries. Given his positions as the producer for both Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16, Yoshida has played upon that fact with jokes about "speaking with the Final Fantasy 16 producer" concerning any crossover-related news. As a result, Yoshida may choose to dedicate a few minutes during the keynote address to Final Fantasy 16, and what players can expect to see from it in Final Fantasy 14.
However, that will not be the only news concerning Eikons or Primals at Fan Fest. During the Letter 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 from Final Fantasy 4. Between the trial, the name of the next Final Fantasy 14 expansion will be, and whatever new Jobs will make their debut alongside it, Final Fantasy fans will have plenty to talk about soon.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
