It’s been just about a year since Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker released. How’s everyone doing with that story emotionally? Still crying uncontrollably when you hear that community cover of Close in the Distance? Cool, cool. Would it surprise you significantly to learn that some of the writing behind Endwalker’s story was also influenced by the real-world pandemic? Because that’s a central focus that writer Natsuko Ishikawa shared in a recent interview from IGN.
Ishikawa explains that story polish and work was being done when the pandemic first hit, and while the plan had already been made for the overall shape of the story, she realized that the experience offered lessons about how fear can spread even as it also told stories of how people bond and move past those struggles. As a result, the sense of despair and anxiety informed the story to make it feel more authentic for people who had no doubt lived through exactly this scenario. Check out the whole interview just below.
