Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida has said that the game’s upcoming patches will experience delays as the novel Coronavirus has forced countries to go into lockdown. The game’s development and Quality Assurance teams are geographically dispersed, and not all individuals have the ability to work from home.
Yoshida noted that Tokyo has declared a state of emergency but the team was able to release patch 5.25 because most of the work was already completed prior to the lockdown.
The note lists the following key reasons for the delays:
- Delayed delivery of graphical assets due to the lockdown of cities in East Asia, North America, and Europe.
- Delayed voice recording due to the lockdown of cities in Europe.
- Delays to development tasks performed by Tokyo staff due to work-from-home/shelter-in-place limitations.
- Production and QA teams operating well below normal capacity due to work-from-home/shelter-in-place limitations.
“We are terribly sorry for the disappointment this may cause our players, as we know you look forward to new patches,” wrote Yoshida. “However, it is also important to prioritize the physical and mental health of our development team, without whom we would never be able to release the quality updates and features you expect from FFXIV, so we ask for your understanding as we adjust our schedule in accordance with the situation.”
Yoshida added that Final Fantasy XIV‘s servers will now be maintained by the team from home, including himself. He warned that players may experience delayed responses but assured them that the Worlds will be up and running as usual.
[Source: Final Fantasy XIV]
Help Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus
PlayStation LifeStyle recommends all readers comply with CDC guidelines and remain as isolated as possible during this urgent time. Visit the Centers for Disease Control at CDC.gov or the World Health Organization at WHO.int for the latest information on the coronavirus and learn what you can do to stop the spread.
