Highlights
- Final Fantasy 14 players hoping for Blitzball to be added to the MMORPG were denied by game producer Yoshida during the North American Fan Fest.
- The keynote revealed the fifth expansion, Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, which takes players to the New World and introduces the Pelupelu race.
- Although some fans were disappointed by the denial of Blitzball, others speculate that it may still be included in a future Gold Saucer update.
Final Fantasy 14 players that were holding out hope for Final Fantasy 10's Blitzball mini-game to be added to the MMORPG received a resounding denial from game producer and director Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida during the keynote address at the North American Fan Fest. After Yoshi-P shot down the idea, Final Fantasy 14 players took to social media to express their disappointment in the hopes Yoshida would change his mind later.
The Fan Fest keynote was highlighted by the reveal of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, the game's fifth expansion since its relaunch as A Realm Reborn. Following the events of Endwalker, the Warrior of Light and the Scions receive an invitation to the New World, known locally as Tural, in order to take part in a contest of succession to determine Tural's new ruler. During the keynote, a new tribe was revealed in the form of the Pelupelu, a bird-like race that first appeared in Final Fantasy 10. The reveal of the Pelupelu as one of the myriad races that inhabit Tural, coupled with the land's tropical environment, led Final Fantasy 14 fans to believe that Blitzball would make its way from Spira to Tural.
However, Yoshi-P shouted, "No Blitzball!" in response to the crowd when he asked them to guess what new attraction would be added to the Manderville Gold Saucer in the near future. Later in the keynote, Yoshi-P revealed that the Gold Saucer would soon host a collaboration with Fall Guys in a future content update. Some Final Fantasy 14 characters will be added as costumes in Fall Guys via the Warriors of Light Fame Pass, starting August 22. The Gold Saucer update that includes a 24-player Fall Guys obstacle course into Final Fantasy 14 will be added during the Patch 6.5x cycle in Spring 2024.
While Blitzball remains one of the most popular mini-games in the Final Fantasy series, fans that were holding out hope for its inclusion took to social media to express their disappointment. While some fans believe the dream to be over, some fans interpreted Yoshida's denial of Blitzball as a response to the Gold Saucer update that would arrive during the Endwalker patch cycle and not as a retort to a planned Gold Saucer update that would occur during Dawntrail. Yoshida added that more updates about the Dawntrail expansion will come in October at the London Fan Fest, and in January at the Tokyo Fan Fest.
With the Fall Guys collaboration coming soon, plus a huge graphical update in the Dawntrail expansion, Final Fantasy 14 fans will have plenty of content to take part in soon. Only time will tell if Yoshida and the development team will change their minds about Blitzball or not.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version coming in Spring 2024.
