Final Fantasy XIV has only ever improved in quality since its rebirth under the aptly titled moniker of A Realm Reborn. Helmed by game director Naoki Yoshida, the popular MMORPG has enjoyed a consistent level of success across its three expansions: Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers. The new Endwalker expansion will undoubtedly continue that trend, offering players two new jobs and the continuation of the story that will ultimately conclude the Tale of Gods Light and Dark. Given the importance of the conclusion of the story, it comes to no surprise then that the expansion will feature around 30% more story and cutscenes in comparison to Shadowbringers.

Speaking in a recent interview with PC Gamer, Final Fantasy XIV game director Naoki Yoshida revealed that there will be a notable increase in the amount of story content and cutscenes in the Endwalker expansion compared to the current expansion, Shadowbringers. “In a simple comparison between the two,” Yoshida said, “I would say the amount has increased by 1.3 times more.” Yoshi-P goes on to reveal that there were times when he thought that the scope of the project was too large, and considered shaving down some of the story to compensate. “When we were looking at it, I honestly thought it would be too big,” Yoshida said. “It was too much, and it would become critical on our schedule.”

So I considered if we needed to shave off some of the plot that’s being unraveled in there, but considering how we’d have to make more adjustments to shave off any parts of the story—that would mean even more work—I made the decision to push forward with what we have.”

Despite Yoshi-P’s concerns, the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker expansion is slated to release later this year, which lines up perfectly with the pre-established schedule of one expansion for every two years. If everything goes according to plan then we’ll be able to sink our teeth into the new expansion when it officially releases on November 23, 2021. Who knows, maybe Thancred will even show up naked somewhere in this expansion, too.

Final Fantasy XIV is now available for PC and PS4, with the PS5 version releasing in full on May 25.

Thoughts on Endwalker containing more story content than Shadowbringers? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!