Square Enix’s latest expansion for Final Fantasy XIV, Endwalker, will not be releasing on November 23 as originally intended. The expansion will now be available to play two weeks later on December 7, with early access beginning on December 3. FFXIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida apologized for the delay in a long-winded statement, blaming his own “selfishness” on why the expansion was pushed back.
From Yoshida:
The biggest factor behind the release date change was my own selfishness as the game’s director. […]
[…] as we neared the end of development and I played through everything—from quests to battle content and the like—I just couldn’t contain my desire to further improve Endwalker‘s quality, specifically because this expansion pack marks the first major culmination of events in Final Fantasy XIV so far. […]
As a result, we remained firmly resolved to adjust down to the smallest nuances and ensure our writing covers even the finest points of the vast and intricate story that has spanned these past 11 years since the original Final Fantasy XIV to ensure that everyone can fully enjoy their adventure in Endwalker. Unfortunately, the consequence of this was that we ended up in a situation where we cut into the time required for final quality assurance checks due to this time spent on additional improvements.
At this rate, there was a bigger risk of us reaching the release date without ensuring “stability” as one form of quality, and for that reason, I have decided to postpone the release at this time. […]
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is the fourth expansion of the long-running RPG. Originally announced in May, Endwalker will introduce new jobs and playable races such as the Reaper and Male Viera, as well as new locales such as Old Sharlayan.
Source: Square Enix (via Gematsu)