To celebrate 10 years of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, the team behind the critically-acclaimed MMORPG are releasing congratulatory video messages from prominent figures in the Final Fantasy development world.
Two videos have been released so far with none other than Hironobu Sakaguchi kicking off the anniversary festivities. While no longer with Square Enix after his departure in 2003, Sakaguchi is widely considered to be the founder of the Final Fantasy series, having directed the first five titles in the series in addition to holding producer and other key roles in several additional main title games--including the original Final Fantasy VII.
In his message, Sakaguchi pops open a bottle of champagne to commemorate the occasion, saying 10 years of A Realm Reborn is like celebrating his “own child turning 10.” Having started playing the game almost two years ago, he admits to being completely engrossed by the world and spending upwards of 12 hours a day in Eorzea early on. He then chugs an entire glass of bubbly because why not?
The second video features the logo-making legend, Yoshitaka Amano. Amano has created so many of the title logo designs for the Final Fantasy series and its associated spinoffs that it might be easier to list the ones he didn’t create. He also designed the very cool art for A Realm Reborn’s 10th anniversary.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn arrived in 2013 after the fumbled launch of Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 in 2010. The advent of A Realm Reborn has turned into a parable of sorts in the gaming industry. The almost miraculous turnaround from instant flop to one of the most beloved MMO games over the last decade is an inspiring story that offers development teams everywhere a glimmer of hope in the most dire of times. And with a playerbase of more than 48 million, according to MMOPopulations.com, and the next major expansion, Dawntrail, coming next year, the story of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is far from over.