Square Enix's new president religiously plays Final Fantasy 14 with his wife, and fans love it

Final Fantasy 14
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Square Enix's new president is a big Final Fantasy 14 fan, and players are rejoicing.

Last week saw a new Letter From the Producer Live presentation, but this time, outgoing Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda and soon-to-be president Takashi Kiryu dropped by for a chat. Kiryu revealed he's actually a big Final Fantasy 14 fan, and plays the game entirely with his wife.

Kiryu revealed the Square Enix game he's playing the most right now is Final Fantasy 14, adding of his wife that "when I get home she'd have weapon and gear appropriate for my level and where she expects us to get to ready," and that he really appreciates this (as translated by the Final Fantasy 14 Discord server). There's a tonne of positive emoji reactions in the Discord server surrounding these comments from players since the broadcast aired. 

"I am really looking forward to being part of the team and following the game's development," Kiryu added. The incoming Square Enix president was also about to reveal his personal favorite Final Fantasy 14 character but was quickly stopped by game director Naoki Yoshida.

Since the broadcast last week, Final Fantasy 14 fans have been largely celebrating Kiryu's comments. "I already like him more than Matsuda," wrote one player on Twitter in a comment that was perhaps a little harsh (although not entirely unjustified, considering Matsuda's recent NFT-related ventures).

"A young CEO… that's a good sign," wrote another player on Twitter. This is actually a bit of a misconception, since despite Kiryu's youthful looks, he's actually 47, just 12 years younger than Matsuda at 59. Still, perhaps this comment is also praising Kiryu's enthusiastic energy towards Final Fantasy 14.

Elsewhere in the Letter From the Producer Live showcase last week, Yoshida and company revealed Final Fantasy 14's patch 6.2 will launch in late May (just one month before Final Fantasy 16 launches). This big new patch is really exciting, promising to continue the post-Endwalker storyline, as well as updating several ongoing Raid series, including the ace Myths of the Realm saga.

Check out our new games 2023 guide for a look at all the titles on the horizon that Final Fantasy 14's next patch will be vying for attention again. 

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

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