Square Enix has announced the dates and locations for its next round of Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest events, suggesting the next expansion is still a long way off.
Typically, three events are held every couple of years across America, Europe, and Japan ahead of each new expansion, detailing future updates to the MMORPG.
Now we know the first of this next wave will be in California in April 2026, followed by Berlin in July 2026, and then Tokyo in October 2026. The announcement was made alongside a special video to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the game.
So what does this mean for players?
New expansions usually release a few months after the Japanese Fan Fest event, meaning the follow-up to Dawntrail will likely be released in early 2027 if following the same pattern (or even midway through the year, as was standard before Endwalker).
That would put 8.0 three years behind 7.0 (Dawntrail), the longest break yet between expansions. With Patch 7.3 for Final Fantasy 14 just recently released, and typically five patches (and some smaller ones) between expansions, that means there’s just two major patches to last until 2027.
So why the longer development cycle this time?
Firstly, Dawntrail brought a graphical overhaul to the game to modernise it after over a decade since launch. As such, updates and expansions are likely more complex now.
Secondly, added to that complexity, is Square Enix’s multiplatform strategy – Final Fantasy 14 is now available on Xbox as well as PlayStation and PC, with a simultaneous launch of the next expansion likely.
What’s more, director and producer Naoki Yoshida recently hinted to VGC a Switch 2 version could be in the works – not only would developing this take time and resources away from the next expansion, it would add yet another platform to that simultaneous launch.
A further caveat is the future of the PS4 version of the game. Yoshida recently told Feed4Gamers the team is reaching the limit of data for the PS4’s OS, meaning Square Enix could follow the likes of Genshin Impact and PUBG by ending service for the older console.
Lastly there’s Yoshida himself, who has increasingly been working on other projects within Square Enix. Final Fantasy 16, of course, was released back in 2023 but recently launched on PC and Xbox, but he was also co-producer on last year’s Fantasian: Neo Dimension. There’s also the forthcoming Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles being developed by CBU 3 within Square Enix, the development team headed up by Yoshida.
Until the next Fan Fest events, we’ll receive patches 7.4 and 7.5, which will move the narrative on towards the next big story arc and the next expansion. Yoshida told Feed4Gamers there won’t yet be a new character introduced in these patches as with Wuk Lamat for Dawntrail – that character proved unpopular with some fans.
Still, there’s always the Monster Hunter Wilds collaboration, right?
The long wait for the next expansion is worrisome for fans, especially as player numbers in Final Fantasy 14 are reportedly dropping. There are still over 30 million registered accounts for the game, but anecdotally players are moving elsewhere. Ironically, the MMORPG’s popularity grew in the wake of players moving from World of Warcraft, but with Wow’s new expansion and housing update on the way, perhaps the waters will flow in the opposite direction.
I was lucky enough to attend both the Las Vegas and London Fan Fest events back in 2023 ahead of Dawntrail’s release. As a first-timer, the Las Vegas Fan Fest event was particularly special. Still, at the very least, the move to Anaheim California next year is great news for anyone looking to avoid the scorching Nevada summer heat.