Final Fantasy XIV producer admits regaining trust will be 'very hard'

Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida talks about the shortcomings of the game and how the company is looking at its prospects of gaining back fan trust, both short- and long-term.

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Square Enix has been fairly candid about Final Fantasy XIV's shortcomings. As it prepares to relaunch as A Realm Reborn, the game's producer is remaining humble about the game, saying that gaining back the trust of fans will be "very hard."

"Losing your fans' trust is very easy thing to do. Regaining it is very hard," producer Naoki Yoshida told Eurogamer. "We believe Final Fantasy 14 is a starting point, and that players joining us will think 'oh wow, this is great, I'll see what they can do with Final Fantasy 15 or 16'. Over a long time we'll try and regain their trust, but it is something we as a company must put effort into, long-term."

That indicates a long-term goal, but Yoshida isn't giving up on FFXIV just yet. "In the 25-year history of the Final Fantasy series, there hasn't been a Final Fantasy that has failed," he said. "We can't - we just can't - let this game end in failure." He says the original fans were let down, and Square has to show them they're still behind the project. "It's kind of a crazy idea, but we've got to do it."

A Realm Reborn is set to launch on the PC sometime later this year, and a PlayStation 3 beta test is being planned without a clear launch window yet.

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