By 
Final Fantasy XIV FanFest 2023 heralded the return of the massive fan event. Thousands of people from all over the globe headed to Las Vegas, Nevada to meet up with friends and Free Company members to attend Live Letters and special concerts in the flesh. However, while attendees were more than happy enough to meet up with their fellow Warriors of Light and bond over their communal enjoyment of Square Enix’s long-running MMORPG, their experience with the venue and the sweltering dry heat of Las Vegas left something to be desired.
I sat down and interviewed several members of the Final Fantasy XIV community about their experience at FanFest 2023, and while some were divided about how the event was run, two thing remained unanimous. Attendees were thrilled to meet the friends they’ve made through playing the game, but the Las Vegas heat was unbearable.
“It’s been overwhelming, but fun.” Said Fae, an attendee from Europe. “When they first announced the event in 2020, it was going to be in San Diego, I thought “Oh that’s not too bad, it’ll be in November!” but of course, that was in 2020 so it didn’t really pan out. And I was like “Oh! Vegas in the summer, I can do it!” and I sure am doing it. It’s tough, but I was so determined to make the trip.” Fae elaborated further and mentioned that the event itself was enjoyable despite sometimes overwhelming queues, as they were finally able to meet some of their friends face to face.
Image via Square Enix
This was a shared sentiment with cosplayers Aes and Amanda, who were less than pleased about the event location and the way Square Enix handled the event. “There were no food options, and even when there was, people weren’t told for at least an hour that all of the food had sold out. People waited an hour to find out nothing was available.” Said Aes. “It feels like they planned for two-thirds of the people to show up.”
“I’m thinking of it as kind of a once in a lifetime thing. Which is both really good because I’ve been looking forward to this because it’s so cool and the community is amazing and we’re meeting people from Taiwan, Canada, and everywhere. But on the other hand this was difficult, I am overheated, I am hungry, I am tired, and I am confused and I’ve been in line for two hours.” Amanda went on to say that the pair had waited outside in the heat during the first day of the event, where a generous amount of attendees had to line up in order to get into the convention center proper.
But what both Aes and Amanda stressed was how polite the community was, evening during the most strenuous of times. “I think it speaks to the community, with all of us being overheated and there being no guidance from Square Enix as to how this actually works, that everyone was so nice. I think the most fun I’ve had here is talking to other players.”
Image via Square Enix
Aes went on to speak about how he was one of the many World of Warcraft “refugees” that ended up making the switch to Final Fantasy XIV, how welcoming the community was during that period, and how that has extended to the overall feeling of the event itself. “Unfortunately, none of my Free Company could make it (due to the lottery system), and half the fun of these things is going to see your friends. And my partner (Amanda) made it, which is cool. And we’ve met so many nice people, that in spite of the FanFest, we’re having a great time.”
However, when asked about the accommodations at the event, Amanda mentioned that Square Enix seemed under prepared, even going so far as to mention that there was only one ADA accessible spot in the venue for the piano concert that happened later in the evening. Their sentiment was shared by Chris, another attendee at the event. “I think that FanFest was woefully unprepared for the amount of people attending. We desperately needed more staff, maybe like two or three times the actual number of staff on site, to help guide us through the lines. The seating for the stage was also very minimal leading to people trying to save seats for hours for the piano concert.”
This brings up safety concerns for the event, as many weren’t able to get seats due to the sheer volume of people at FanFest, which led people to sit in designated walkways or even crowd around the front of the stage. This also happened during the Final Fantasy XIV keynote that opened up the event during its first day. Even I noticed that attendees were packed around the side of the designated seating area with the crowd nearly extended to the food vendor stalls, all plopped down to watch the presentation. Crowding got worse during The Primals concert, with the front-end of the venue absolutely packed, with some attendees sharing on Twitter that the ADA section was sandwiched between the “pit” where seating options were moved back so people could get closer to the stage where the band was performing, and where seats had been moved back to. This caused issue, as those in the ADA section felt as though they were uncomfortably sandwiched between both sections, and this could have posed a safety issue.
That said, there was of course some positive reception to the event. Cosplayer Nipah, most notably known for his cosplay of the character that appears in Final Fantasy XIV‘s cinematics, was elated to be able to make it to FanFest 2023. His first Final Fantasy XIV FanFest event, he mentioned that being in an environment where everyone has come together over their love of a shared thing was incredible. As a cosplayer, he’d love to see the cosplay contest return, that way those who want to compete and those who want to do the walk have the opportunity to do so. But when asked about the venue location, he said this. “I would love for the venue to be in a place that isn’t 110 degrees. It gives Gold Saucer vibes, but I’d even be fine with a place that is 90 degrees.”
Image via Square Enix
Another issue that arose, and one that I am in the midst of dealing with, was that FanFest 2023 had no mask regulations. As a result, a numerous amount of attendees, streamers included, have reported coming down with flu-like symptoms and even COVID-19. Despite masking up for the entirety of the event, I have unfortunately caught the flu which could have been prevented for the most part if Square Enix had enforced some kind of masking regulation. In general, it would have been good practice, as walking in from 110F or higher degree weather into an air conditioned arena isn’t great for the body. Ultimately, they could have done better with this and prevented people from getting ill by having some kind of rule about masking up in densely crowded areas.
Final Fantasy XIV FanFest 2023 no doubt brought people together, allowing players from across the globe to meet one another and even make new friends. However, it seems like there’s much to be desired when it came to the venue location. Whether or not Square Enix will host the North American FanFest in Vegas again has yet to be seen. But hopefully feedback will be taken into consideration and FanFest can continue to grow as an event and create a more positive experience — and hopefully in another city where attendees aren’t forced to stand in line or travel in 110 degree heat.
Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. The next one will be held in London between October 21-22, 2023.
