Father of Final Fantasy Hironobu Sakaguchi to attend FFXIV Fan Fest

Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi digs the MMO entries, so much so he’s got Final Fantasy XIV’s Fan Festival on his schedule. Next month, Square Enix heads to London for its second FFXIV Fan Fest, and Sakaguchi’s on the special guest list.

Square Enix announced its plans to include Sakaguchi on social media and the Lodestone update blog. The father of Final Fantasy joins for both days at the EU event and will answer fan questions about his adventures through Eorzea and beyond. Welcome to Naoki’s Room, the Day 1 panel, serves as the Q&A segment and includes director and producer Naoki Yoshida as its host.

Presenting the #FFXIV Fan Festival 2023 in London stage and stream schedule! 📅 https://t.co/JsE8lth2wa

We will also be joined by a very special guest, FINAL FANTASY series founder Hironobu Sakaguchi!

We look forward to seeing you all at the event or on live stream! pic.twitter.com/3X8sVZECyM

— FINAL FANTASY XIV (@FF_XIV_EN) September 11, 2023

On Day 2, A Stroll with Yoshi-P includes Sakaguchi and Yoshida yet again, where they’ll discuss content and development tales from the series’ history. Moderators on FFXIV’s official forums also started a thread for Sakaguchi’s Q&A panel, where you can already type up your questions now. It’s a neat little chance to chat with the creator, but the fanfare has some historical basis.

It’s all just speculation, but Sakaguchi’s attendance is a big deal to eagle-eyed FFXIV players. In Stormblood and Shadowbringers, the Alliance Raids both featured guest creators from Square Enix, and the community is hopeful for the same in Version 7.0, Dawntrail. While FFXIV revealed its next expansion at July’s NA event, fans expect more details and footage at the London show.

Sakaguchi is a major FFXIV fan and hasn’t been shy about it. The series creator often shares his Savage raiding progression, glamour, and housing adventures on Twitter. He’s joined Yoshida on past panels, chatting everything from old RPG design ideals to the newer Final Fantasy XVI. In 2021, Sakaguchi tore through the expansions pretty quickly, devouring story content faster than the game can update. He’s just like me, for real.

いざ、暁月へ。
だが、そのまえに積み残したサブクエなどが山のようにある。明日からも冒険である。#FF14 #FFXIV pic.twitter.com/14a3UMIOyR

— 坂口博信 (@auuo) October 31, 2021

You can catch the full FFXIV Fan Fest schedule for 2023’s EU event over on the MMO’s official site. Fans at home can join in and watch through Twitch or YouTube on October 21 and 22.