The director of Final Fantasy XIV, Naoki Yoshida, has confessed to owning a covert alternate account that he has been using to interact with the community.
Director Naoki Yoshida is a well-known figure among Final Fantasy XIV players. He is beloved by fans worldwide for his role in revamping the game from its underwhelming origins.
Despite spending all of his time fine-tuning and developing the game, it’s difficult to determine if the developer has any time to personally enjoy Eorzea. This is especially true with the upcoming launch of Dawntrail, as the entire team is dedicated to making sure that the new expansion meets the highest standards for players.
Despite this, Yoshida has disclosed that he does have an alternate character that he utilizes to join in on community gameplay. However, he expresses sadness about not being able to fully communicate and engage with them.
There could be a Final Fantasy XIV dev in your party and you might not even notice.
According to Yoshi-P in an interview with TheGamer, the majority of the team, estimated to be around “85-90%”, are actually Warriors of Light concealing their true identities. Even Yoshi-P himself is among them, admitting that he frequently befriends and participates in group activities with his alternate characters.
Yoshida clarified that this allowed him to fully embrace the community and its experiences beyond the designated structures and systems.
“Many individuals have unknowingly played alongside me. I may even be included on their list of friends without their knowledge.”
It is unfortunate that his level of fame within the Final Fantasy XIV community requires him to maintain some distance from his party members. This aspect of anonymity is always disheartening for the developers, as he must decline dinner invitations and voice chats in order to avoid revealing his identity.
“Although I have many friends in-game, I am unable to join them when they suggest going out for dinner, which makes me feel sad. I am also unable to communicate with them through voice chat.”
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