The fun and unexpected link between Final Fantasy XIV and FromSoftware’s hit game Elden Ring keeps getting stronger. In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida, aka Yoshi-P, speaks about his team’s love for Elden Ring and how the 2022 Game of the Year has inspired the scenery of the Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Dawntrail.
The surprise association between the two seemingly dissimilar games first came to light during a Final Fantasy XIV PAX East 2024 panel. After revealing that Dawntrail’s early access would kick off on June 28, Yoshida admitted the start date was meant to be a week earlier but was pushed back to not conflict with the June 21 release of Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. Yoshida alluded that the extra week to play the Elden Ring DLC was just as much for him as it was for FFXIV players and, after this PC Gamer article, you get an even clearer understanding of how deep the Elden Ring fandom runs within his team.
"I think in the development team for Final Fantasy XIV, possibly 98% [of the team] are playing Elden Ring," Yoshida told PC Gamer via a translator.
The idea of an Elden Ring-inspired expansion might make some Final Fantasy XIV fans nervous, but Yoshida has assured the community that their goal wasn’t to make Dawntrail too difficult. While Yoshida explained in the same PAX East panel that exploring new game mechanics and combat encounters was a part of the team’s mission to escape monotony and create a more fulfilling gameplay experience, increased difficulty was not their endgame. Instead, Elden Ring’s influence will be noticed more so in the sights and sounds of Dawntrail.
Yoshida elaborates further in the interview. "But when it comes to things like the scenery in the game or the atmosphere and being able to convey that sense without a lot of text to convey those nuances in the story, Elden Ring does that really well. And I think there must be people in the team who are really inspired by that as well."
You can check out the full PC Gamer article here. And don’t forget to preorder Dawntrail if you’re hoping to play in the June 28 early access. The new expansion launches for all players on July 2.
