Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker expansion delayed two weeks

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker has been delayed for two weeks, arriving December 7th instead of November 23rd. In a blog post, game director Naoki Yoshida says the delay was to ensure adequate quality assurance testing in the final days of development.

Yoshida says the decision to delay the game arose from a desire to ensure Endwalker’s story was something that befit 11 years of Final Fantasy XIV’s epic storytelling.

“We remained firmly resolved to adjust down to the smallest nuances and ensure our writing covers even the finest points of the vast and intricate story that has spanned these past 11 years since the original FFXIV to ensure that everyone can fully enjoy their adventure in Endwalker,” Yoshida writes. However, the time it took to make the necessary story adjustments disrupted Endwalker’s quality assurance testing schedule. Notably, Yoshida cites the game’s stability as a major factor in postponing the game.

In July, Final Fantasy XIV saw a massive increase in popularity which resulted in the digital deluxe version of the game selling out and new character creation on North American servers briefly disabled. The spike in new players caused longer login queues and prompted Square Enix to kick idle players while increasing capacity in order to help with server congestion — all without a major release driving player interest. With Endwalker on the horizon, Yoshida wanted to ensure the game could handle what will likely be an even bigger spike in players.

Yoshida was apologetic for the delay, apparently tearing up as he made the announcement. The beloved developer, affectionately known as Yoshi-P, said he took players’ potential inconveniences — like requesting time off to play — into account before making the difficult decision to postpone.

“I was incredibly torn between whether or not we should cut down the expansion pack’s volume or even release content in installments,” Yoshida writes. “As such, I humbly ask you all to forgive me for the decision I’ve made.”

The new date places Endwalker’s launch a day before the release of Halo Infinite, giving the first full week of December two of the biggest, most-anticipated titles of the last couple years.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker launches on PC and PlayStation December 7th.