Legendary Final Fantasy 14 Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi Astonishes 69-Year-Old Raider with Unforgettable Surprise Visit

Highlights

Sakaguchi's surprise appearance not only uplifted the spirit of the veteran player but also filled the creator's heart with inspiration, as they both found themselves conquering the same formidable raid phase in the enchanting world of Final Fantasy 14.

Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy franchise, surprised a 69-year-old raider during one of their streams. The heartwarming video of this unexpected visit has quickly become one of the most popular VODs, garnering over 32,000 views and capturing the hearts of Final Fantasy 14 fans worldwide. This interaction beautifully showcased the inclusive nature of the Final Fantasy 14 community, demonstrating that raiding is enjoyed by players of all ages.

Pokochii_bigmum, a 69-year-old Japanese gamer, started their streaming career two years ago with Final Fantasy 14. While occasionally playing other games, the majority of their nearly 500 livestreams have been dedicated to documenting their adventures in Eorzea and beyond.

Throughout their journey, they have experienced all of Final Fantasy 14's expansions, including their intense battle with Pandaemonium Anabaseios (Savage), considered one of the toughest raids in Endwalker, second only to the Ultimate challenges. During one of their recent streams, when Pokochii and their raid group encountered a challenging phase in the final battle of the raid tier, they took a break between pulls. It was during this break when Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, unexpectedly joined their chat room. Although the livestream is in Japanese, Sakaguchi's appearance can be seen around the 2:31:00 mark, where he introduces himself and provides encouraging words for Pokochii to persevere and give it their all.

Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, is an enthusiastic player of Final Fantasy 14. The 60-year-old father of Final Fantasy started playing the highly-acclaimed MMORPG even before Endwalker was released. He played through the game's story at an impressive speed to catch up for the expansion. He has also taken on some of the game's toughest raids and, like Pokochii, his group is currently stuck on the same phase of Anabaseios. After the livestream, Sakaguchi took to his personal Twitter to share how the heartwarming visit inspired him to give his best in the next battle attempt.

Unsurprisingly, Final Fantasy 14 fans from around the world were deeply moved by Sakaguchi's unexpected visit. With a substantial following of over 240,000 subscribers, Pokochii's livestream attracted numerous fans who were equally thrilled by Sakaguchi's presence. The video has already garnered more than 32,000 views and is well on its way to becoming the most popular VOD by a Final Fantasy 14 streamer.

Pokochii, Sakaguchi, and all other enthusiasts of Final Fantasy 14 are eagerly anticipating the forthcoming Fan Festival. This thrilling event commences in Las Vegas on July 28 and 29 at 10 AM PST. Given that the game will unveil its highly anticipated expansion pack and provide players with a sneak peek of Patch 6.5, those unable to attend the convention will surely not want to miss the livestream if possible.

Final Fantasy 14 can currently be enjoyed on PC, PS4, and PS5.