Final Fantasy 14 Deliberately Shuns Prominent Fan-Requested Element from FF10: Find Out Why!

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 announced the release of the fifth expansion, Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, where players are taken to the New World and introduced to the Pelupelu race. While a few fans expressed disappointment over the absence of Blitzball, there is speculation that it might be included in a future update for Gold Saucer.

Final Fantasy 14 players who were hoping for the addition of Final Fantasy 10's Blitzball mini-game in the MMORPG were disappointed when game producer and director Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida denied the idea during the North American Fan Fest keynote address. Despite this denial, Final Fantasy 14 players expressed their disappointment on social media, holding out hope that Yoshida might change his mind in the future.

The keynote address at the Fan Fest introduced Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, the game's fifth expansion since its relaunch as A Realm Reborn. In this expansion, following the events of Endwalker, the Warrior of Light and the Scions receive an invitation to the New World, known as Tural, to participate in a contest to determine the new ruler of Tural. The keynote also revealed a new race called the Pelupelu, reminiscent of the bird-like race from Final Fantasy 10. With the introduction of the Pelupelu and the tropical environment of Tural, many Final Fantasy 14 fans speculated that Blitzball would be included in the game, transitioning from Spira to Tural.

Yoshi-P, the creator of Final Fantasy 14, caused a stir when he shouted, "No Blitzball!" to the crowd during a recent event at the Manderville Gold Saucer. However, he later revealed that a collaboration with Fall Guys will be taking place instead. In this collaboration, Final Fantasy 14 characters will be featured as costumes in Fall Guys, starting from August 22. Additionally, a new update for the Gold Saucer will introduce a 24-player Fall Guys obstacle course into Final Fantasy 14 in Spring 2024.

The announcement disappointed some fans who were hoping for the inclusion of Blitzball, a popular mini-game in the Final Fantasy series. However, it is believed by some fans that Yoshi-P's denial of Blitzball was in response to the upcoming Gold Saucer update during the Endwalker patch cycle, rather than a denial of a planned Gold Saucer update during the Dawntrail expansion. More updates about the Dawntrail expansion will be revealed in October at the London Fan Fest and in January at the Tokyo Fan Fest.

The upcoming Fall Guys collaboration and the Dawntrail expansion's significant graphical update will provide Final Fantasy 14 fans with ample content to engage with in the near future. It remains to be seen whether Yoshida and the development team will reconsider their stance on Blitzball. Final Fantasy 14 is currently accessible on PC, PS4, and PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version slated for release in Spring 2024.