It’s been about two months since Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail released, and while reaction has been mostly positive, there has been some degree of controversy over the expansion’s storytelling. Producer and director Naoki Yoshida was interviewed by Eurogamer about the expansion, and he engaged very openly with questions about the story, stating that while he understands why some players prefer faster pacing, he also believes there’s a good reason for the slower pace:
Yoshida also talked about the importance of listening to player feedback, explaining that he sees the situation as being a two-way street; a studio that doesn’t communicate well with its players about why changes are being made is losing the plot just as much as if it doesn’t listen. As is rather typical for interviews with Yoshida, the answers are in-depth and well-considered, so if you’ve been happily enjoying your time in Tural or just want a peek at where the story might go from here (and Yoshida explaining why he isn’t offering one), check out the full interview.“For us in the development team, the story did progress as we planned. The key things we had in mind for this adventure were for the player to know about where they are going, for them to learn things about where they’re going, and then for them to discover things where they’re going as part of the adventure. But as a result of that, we did receive feedback that the tempo was slow, and I do understand that some players were frustrated.”
