Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival Schedule Reveals When We'll Likely Hear About Next Expansion

Today Square Enix revealed the stage show schedule for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV fan festival in Las Vegas. 

We already knew that the festival will be hosted on Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29, but thanks to the post on the official Lodestone website, now we know exactly what will happen and when. 

Notably, the keynote of the first of the three regional fan festivals is traditionally when a new expansion is first revealed by Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida, with more information trickled down at the following festivals in Europe and Japan (scheduled for October and January).

This time around, the keynote will happen at 10:00 a.m. PDT on the 28th and last one and a half hours. That translates to 1:00 p.m. EDT, 6:00 p.m. BST, and 7:00 p.m CEST.

At the moment, very little is known about the expansion, besides the fact that it'll include a substantial visual overhaul to bring the 10-year-old MMORPG more in line with current standards in terms of graphics.

Below you can find the full schedule, which also includes the next Letter from the Producer Live broadcast at 10:00 a.m. PDT on the 29th. That's when Yoshida-san will reveal the next major update, version 6.5. 

Friday, July 28, 2023

The times listed below are Pacific time.
* Stage event times are subject to change.

• 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.   
  Keynote

Join Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida as he takes to the stage to announce the latest updates coming to FINAL FANTASY XIV.

Presenter: Naoki Yoshida
Languages: English/Japanese

• 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   
  Opening Ceremony

The attending guests from the FINAL FANTASY XIV Development and Operations teams arrive to greet attendees and kick off the show.

Presenter: Matt Hilton
Languages: English/Japanese

• 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.   
  A Realm Revisited

In celebration of the upcoming 10th anniversary, the North American Community team looks back at impactful updates made to FINAL FANTASY XIV over the years. From grandiose moments to community memes, enjoy this walk down memory lane with us.

Presenters: Aya Montoya, Danielle Grafft
Language: English

• 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.   
  Beginning from the End: The Annotated Endwalker

Join members of the development team as they look back on the creation of Endwalker.

Presenters: Naoki Yoshida, Natsuko Ishikawa
Languages: English/Japanese

• 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.   
  Glamoured to Life - Cosplay Walk

We’ve invited cosplayers of all skill levels to strut their stuff on stage for everyone to see! Come enjoy the pageantry and dedication on display!

Presenters: Aya Montoya, Danielle Grafft
Language: English

• 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.   
  Piano Performance * 

Reminisce on past adventures and enjoy the mesmerizing melodies of FFXIV in this piano concert performed by Keiko. To ensure that all attendees can enjoy the concert without distraction, video or audio recording during the performance is strictly prohibited.

Presenters: Masayoshi Soken, Matt Hilton
Language: English/Japanese
* Concerts will not be broadcast.

Saturday, July 29, 2023

The times listed below are Pacific time.
* Stage event times are subject to change.

• 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.   
  Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXVIII

Join Yoshi-P as he discusses the latest information in this installment of the Letter from the Producer LIVE from Fan Festival!

Presenters: Naoki Yoshida, Toshio Murouchi
Language: English/Japanese

• 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.   
  Crystalline Conflict Regional Championship 2023 North America

Four semifinalist teams bring the excitement to the main stage of Fan Festival to battle it out and see who claims the North American champion title!

Presenters: Naoki Yoshida, Aya Montoya, Brian Ricardo, Frosty
Language: English

• 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.   
  Speaking the Language of Creation

English Localization Lead Kate Cwynar offers a glimpse behind the scenes into how the team uses language to give life to FFXIV's myriad realms, and the key role of collaboration in bringing Endwalker’s expansive story to global audiences. Also, Koji Fox will be there for some reason.

Presenters: Kate Cwynar, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, Matt Hilton
Language: English

• 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.   
  THE PRIMALS Live in Concert *

Jam out to exhilarating tracks and relive your moments of triumph in this explosive live performance by everyone’s favorite FINAL FANTASY XIV band, THE PRIMALS! To ensure that all attendees can enjoy the concert without distraction, video or audio recording during the performance is strictly prohibited.

Language: English/Japanese

It's worth mentioning that everything besides the concerts will be livestreamed for the fans who can't be in Las Vegas in person. 

Final Fantasy XIV is currently available for PC, PS5, and PS4. After its fourth expansion "Endwalker," the game currently counts 27 million registered accounts worldwide. The massively popular MMORPG has recently received the major 6.4 update "The Dark Throne." 

A few days ago, producer and director Naoki Yoshida teased the possibility of a collaboration with Final Fantasy XVI. On top of that, Square Enix has made the highly-anticipated third volume of the popular book series Encyclopaedia Eorzea available for pre-order.