Dev Tracker - Discussion

Told? How do you think you pay for a mythic? $250 dollars, you give the RMT your login info, get your mythic in a few days.

How are you all interpreting this?

I'm interpreting this as them saying they're going to instance it (previously called Layered Zones), so each party does not occupy an area as they did in OG Dynamis and Limbus. Sounds like you select the monster level when entering and you get warped to an instance similar to Ambuscade, no?

Is that how you all are interpreting it as well? Have they said something else that implies something else?

I assume they bot everything on your char, putting it at risk though.

I assume they bot everything on your char, putting it at risk though.

2024 was a year full of topics, including high-level support for the battle content "Besiege," a reading drama event outside of the game, and the implementation of crossover content "Echoes of Vana'diel" in "Final Fantasy XIV" (hereinafter "FFXIV"). Famitsu.com and Dengeki Online spoke to Fujito Yoji, now in his third year as producer and director of the new system, about his reflections on 2024, his outlook for the future, and his management policies.
Yoji Fujito is FFXI producer and director. As a member of the development team from the beginning, he is in charge of systems such as chat, linkshells, and storage. He is also involved in a wide range of content such as Moblin Maze Mongers and Magian Trials, as well as chocobo breeding and lifestyle content. He was appointed director in 2016. He has also been serving as producer since March 2023.

Interviewer: First, let's look back on last year, 2024. What kind of year was 2024 for FFXI?
Fujito:　This was discussed before FFXI's 20th anniversary, but 2024 was the year when FFXI updates would end and there was a good chance that we would move into a so-called "maintenance mode" where we would only maintain the system. 　However, at the time of the 20th anniversary, we received requests from various quarters to continue long-term operation, and above all, stopping the service would lead to the destruction of daily life for active adventurers. 　For those who have supported FFXI up to now, we consider it the mission of the current members to continue operating FFXI as a living game, and this year we proceeded with server replacement (※) so that we can continue stable 　operation in the future. In addition, the current development team is quite small, so we once again identified "what the current staff can do." 　It is difficult to implement completely new content every patch, but we decided to prioritize by saying, "Let's implement a higher-level mission battlefield this time," and while securing the amount of work and time for that, we made various updates to existing content and systems, and steadily prepared for future patches so that players could continue to enjoy the game. This was the main move we made last year.

*Replacing aging servers with new ones

Interviewer: Did you mean that the end of updates in 2024 would end when the implementation related to "Embryo of the Eclipse" was completed?
Fujito:　That's right. Looking back briefly at the history of FFXI development so far, we released expansion discs and the like every few years, and after we had completed them with all our might, discussions began on "So, what should we do next? Should we continue?" ... It was a repetition of that. 　It feels like we were always trying and testing how MMORPGs should grow. It was fine 　as long as there was a lot of room left for servers and clients, but around 2022, when we would celebrate our 20th anniversary, we had long since passed the stage where we were releasing expansion discs and the like based on a long-term plan.

Interviewer: If you recall, the "Vana'diel Project" was announced on March 19, 2015, and it was announced that major version updates would end in November of the same year when "Rhapsodies of Vana'diel" was completed. Fujito: The　following year, in 2016, service for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 versions also ended, and the producer at the time, Matsui (Satoshihiko), also announced a policy of "We will continue the service as much as possible, but we will not make any major leaps from there." 　So, from then until the 20th anniversary in 2022, the whole team decided to "do as much as we can, as much as we can, with only what is possible at that time," and we worked on it as a team. 　In that situation, the mechanical lifespan of the server was finally approaching, and we had many discussions about "Should we replace the server and continue operation? Or should we prepare to close it down?" as we reached the milestone of the 20th anniversary.

Interviewer: So, was there a possibility that not only would updates end, but the service itself would end?
Fujito:　It was a possibility, but when we reached our 20th anniversary, we received a lot of voices from many people saying, "We want you to continue the service in the future." 　Above all, players were logging in and playing the game. 　So I discussed it with Matsui and decided to continue it on the premise that we would update the servers and development equipment, and consider the careers of the staff, and proceed with concurrent roles and transfers for learning. As 　part of that, I decided to take on the role of producer in place of Matsui. 　At that time, I was thinking that if the excitement for FFXI was on a downward trend when Eclipse of the World was completed, then I would really prepare for the end. 　...But that didn't happen. I took this as an oracle to continue operating it in the future, and decided to continue.

Interviewer: There were various measures for FFXI in 2024, so I'd like to ask you about each one. First, please tell us about "Vana Bout," an event that spans all worlds. The first event was held at the end of 2023, but the second and third events were held last year, and the fourth event was held at the beginning of this year. What was the reaction of players?
Fujito　 : I'm grateful for the many thoughts and feedback we receive each time. Thank you. 　Vana Bout was started with the idea that we wanted players from all worlds to feel the joy and fun of achieving goals by "cooperating" and to feel a "horizontal connection." 　It is an element that was not present in the traditional FFXI, and it was not easy to determine the volume and content while taking into account the players' lifestyles and play styles, and there were some parts that caused inconvenience to players. 　However, I think that the core part of "collecting points in all worlds" was a different kind of fun than before. 　Especially with the recent fourth event, we felt that the basic adjustments were fine, so we will continue to add new rewards and campaigns while cherishing the balance that allows players to feel a horizontal connection.

Interviewer: The new "Emperor's Wings" have been added to the Master Trial, which is hard content for experienced players. Please tell us the intention behind this.
Fujito:　For the Master Trial, the number of battles was decided from the beginning, and the reward equipment was also prepared, but when the development scale was compacted in 2023 due to staff reorganization, the originally planned equipment was frozen halfway. There were still some 　rewards that had not been used, so we were finally able to implement them last year.

Interviewer: That's the "mass" of two-handed swords. It was quietly unveiled at the exhibition event "Vana'diel Treasure Exhibition"...
Fujito　: Yes (laughs). As you can see from this, the Master Trial is not planned each time, but was planned from before. 　And this "Emperor's Wings" was the last one planned. Since this is the ultimate battle in Vana'diel, where the strongest party and the strongest enemy fight, it is designed to be the most difficult battle. 　To make it suitable for that, the enemies Bahamut and the final boss of "Embryo of the Eclipse" will appear at the same time.

Interviewer: Next, I would like to ask about the adjustment of Besiege. Further strengthening of the march level is planned in the future, so please tell us again how Besiege was adjusted. Fujito　: Besiege was a content during the level cap 75 era, and the difficulty remained the same, but there were quite a few opportunities for players with item level equipment to participate as goals for Records of Eminence and Vana Bout, and the power difference was too noticeable. 　In addition, players have been requesting for it to be compatible with item level equipment for a long time, and there was talk of "making some changes" among the development staff, so we were thinking about how to make something that is higher level.

Interviewer: What were the difficulties in adjusting it?
Fujito:　To begin with, Besiege is a fairly large content as a system. 　It is not something that is completed only by the battles in Al Zahbi, but communication between area servers is required. There is a fight over the magic flute, the barbarians are actually marching, captured NPCs disappear from Al Zahbi, and various other elements are intricately intertwined. 　For this reason, it cannot be done overnight, and if there are other important matters, it is said that "Let's put off Besieged for now," and it took a while to get started. 　However, with the opportunity of reorganizing the staff, it was decided to make full adjustments to Besieged, with the aim of rekindling the fireworks on existing content that had completed its role, and to proceed in stages with a long-term plan.

Interviewer: Are the gradual adjustments currently on schedule?
Fujito　: Yes. We have a long-term development schedule, and it is mostly on schedule. 　However, even so, there are still bugs that suddenly come to light and issues that need to be resolved. For example, when we tried to increase the marching speed, the marching barbarian army stopped along the way, and the arrival time did not change even though the marching speed increased. 　Because of the terrain, it was a problem that could not be completely fixed, but we have been trying to fix the specifications that were not a problem at the time and the bugs that were left over from past updates as much as possible, and have been reflecting them in the latest version updates. 　Also, based on feedback from players, in addition to adjusting the marching speed from the barbarian army base to Al Zahbi, which I mentioned earlier as an example, we have implemented measures such as setting up an "Escape Route" as a warp point to return to the inside when you go outside the gate, and increasing the rate at which the marching level increases.

Interviewer: In the most recent version update in May, marching level 11 was also released. Please tell us more about this.
Fujito: Basically, the enemy side becomes stronger when the marching level increases, but if the enemy is just stronger, it becomes difficult to play. Therefore 　, as an element that makes playing Besiege more fun, we have introduced a new mechanism called the "Moral Gauge" that affects the strength of the Five Snake Generals and their support to the player. 　In addition, when the marching level reaches 9 or more, the boss at the beastman base also becomes stronger at the same time.
Fujito: Even with item level equipment, there are scenes that feel tough, and the difficulty of the Mythic Weapon Acquisition Quest has also increased, so we implemented a battlefield in November last year where you can fight bosses with the same strength as when it was implemented. We hope you will make use of this when making a Mythic Weapon.

*In the Mythic Weapon Acquisition Quest "Stolen Treasure of the Imperial Palace", you must defeat each boss of the Barbarian army (excluding Besieged) and obtain the title.

Interviewer: There is also the campaign battle as content in which a large number of people participate. I think there are many players who want this to be compatible with high levels, but are there any plans to adjust it?
Fujito:　Of course we have considered it, but... there are an incredible number of values ​​communicating between servers in the background, and it is quite a troublesome situation even just to raise the level. 　There is a large system called the campaign, and because it is a system prepared as an important element within it, the range of its overall influence is wide and deep, so it is not such an easy matter to consider the ripple effects. 　It would be interesting if it could be done, as some parts are reflected in modern Vana'diel, and we are excited to see the charming NPCs play an active role once again, but in reality it is quite difficult.

Interviewer: In the 2024 login campaign, Archangel replica armor appeared, but how did that come about?
Fujito: The purpose hadn't been decided, but since it is a representative class of enemy in FFXI and is a very popular enemy, we were preparing it thinking that it would be useful someday. 　However, there are five races and many parts, and it would be a waste to select the equipment as useful or unnecessary depending on its performance, so we were looking for the timing that it would be better for people to enjoy it freely as fashionable equipment. 　Archangel equipment was just implemented as loot in the crossover content "Echoes of Vana'diel" in FFXIV, so I think it was good that there was a sense of connection.

Interviewer: Next, please tell us about the high-level mission battlefield - "★The Radiance of Magatama", which was implemented in January this year.
Fujito:　This was not in the original plan. 　First of all, the new battlefield "Pink Rondo", which was implemented at the end of 2023, became a new playground and was also well-received as content for earning Exemplary Points. 　However, since there was no "relatively easy-to-challenge battle content" that followed, we wanted to add this somehow. 　At that time, Taniguchi-kun (※) returned to the development of "FFXI", so we asked him to "make one battle content" on short notice and he made it. With this, I think we were able to implement all the high-level mission battlefields.

*Planner Masaru Taniguchi. He joined from "Wings of the Goddess of Altana" and was in charge of monster behavior and each content. In "Seekers of Adoulin", he was also in charge of designing geomancers and magic swordsmen.

Interviewer: In terms of the system, a combination button function was added to the GAMEPAD Config in October. Is this a reflection of player requests?
Fujito:　The main reason for implementing additional functions is that, for a title that is designed specifically for pad operation, there are some things that cannot be done with a pad. 　I think that those who mainly use software keyboards will need support, and in that case, the problem was that "functions that can only be used with a keyboard cannot be used with a pad." 　For example, targeting the nearest NPC with the F8 key. So we decided to adjust the GAMEPAD Config. In addition, 　there were parts of the content that were generally outdated, so we gradually introduced new key assignments to make it easier to play.

Interviewer: In addition to this, in the version upgrades from 2024 to the present, there have been reductions in the reward exchange points for Ambuscade and the addition of an element that shortens the re-entry time for Dynamis - Divergence. What was the policy behind these adjustments?
Fujito:　In addition to the things you just mentioned, we added the Alt attribute to item help, and made it possible to sell Khazanar Sapphires and the Stars of the Underworld, but these were based on the policy of reflecting the requests from the forums as much as possible. 　Also, for Dynamis - Divergence, the previous three-day restriction was inconvenient for planning, and there were many requests to reduce the unnecessary waiting time as much as possible, so we adjusted that as well. 　In terms of adjusting to the current players, the adventurer attitude survey we conducted last year was very helpful. 　The fact that there are quite a lot of solo players in Vana'diel today, and that even those who enjoy party play are mostly fixed groups, was meaningful and significant in that we now have more information other than game data to determine this. In particular, 　we were able to visualize that the play style of the majority of players is to log in when they want to, play the content they want to play solo, and then log out, which is important in determining the development policy.

Interviewer: Indeed, the results of the adventurer attitude survey highlighted the current trends of FFXI players.
Fujito:　Given this kind of play style, if it's a small thing that causes stress, we want to fix anything that can be fixed. There is something like a "to-do list" that the entire development team checks, and we are prioritizing a wide range of elements, from things that improve playability to fixing bugs that make it impossible to progress, so we will continue to work on this while also looking at feedback on social media and forums.

Interviewer: In 2024, there were various developments outside the game, such as the holding of a reading drama event and the start of the broadcast of the information program "AMAN and LIVE!". Please tell us your thoughts on these.
Fujito: Frankly speaking, I have nothing but gratitude to everyone who is involved in the production of the reading drama and information program. 　As for "AMAN and LIVE!", I have always thought that I would be able to communicate with players by sending them information, so it has been a great opportunity. 　Until now, I have been writing the text for the monthly version update announcements, but with the program now in place, I have been able to dig deeper and follow up on things like "Here is the detailed intention of the development information I shared in the announcement."

Interviewer: What do you think about the reading dramas, the first of which was "Ibun no Utaibito" in February 2024 and the second "Mugen no Utaibito" in March 2025?
Fujito: I am also filled with a feeling of "thank you" to KADOKAWA, who organized this event. 　I think it's really amazing that the real-life FFXI event, which started over 20 years ago, has been able to be held every year from 2023 to 2025. 　If we were to hold an event, we would inevitably focus on panel sessions and presentations of new information. 　In contrast, this reading play was held in a closed format, but it was a "new story" for players. It was an event 　that touched the hearts of adventurers, produced by people who love FFXI for customers who also love FFXI. I hope that we can continue to expand the opportunities for such special experiences in the future.

Interviewer: As mentioned earlier, in 2024, a large-scale survey of players, the 2024 FFXI Adventurer Awareness Survey, was conducted. Could you tell us a little more about the policy you have taken in response to the results?
Fujito: The　most important thing about the survey results is how current players are playing FFXI. As I mentioned 　earlier, the majority of players today play solo or in parties with fixed friends, and we have once again deepened our understanding that they want to play what they want to do when they want to do it. 　FFXI was originally designed with the assumption that players would form groups, and it requires cooperation from multiple people in various situations. In addition, 　since it is a standard concept for subscription-based MMORPGs, a structure known as Time to Win, the issues of "difficult to play solo" and "time-consuming" have always been raised as issues. 　I think the results of this survey have once again highlighted the fact that this is a customer need and that it is a top priority issue that must be addressed.

*In the online gaming community, this term is used to mean "those who can take their time will win." Also known as T2W. A synonym is "Pay to Win."

Looking at the results, 53.4% ​​of players in Japan and 45% of players overseas answered "basically solo."
Fujito: Recent management-type games are designed to be enjoyed by solo players in their spare time, so we are thinking about how to coexist with them in the future. In addition, in FFXI, there are trusts to make it easier to play solo, but now we can see that trusts are not strong enough. 　Therefore, we would like to strengthen trusts to make them more useful in solo play in the future, which is one of our main goals.

Interviewer: We also received many requests to relax the number of people participating in content.
Fujito: There is some content that cannot be played unless you have a large party of three or more people. 　Until now, it was a situation where people wanted to play solo, but they couldn't compete, or they couldn't even access the content in the first place, so we are thinking about how to make it accessible and how to make it recognized as a new way to play. 　One easy-to-understand example is that many people want to play Dynamis - Divergence alone, but in the current situation, even if you go in solo, the enemies are strong, and unless you are very well equipped, you will end up not being able to do anything. 　So, is it enough to simply adjust the strength of the enemies? Of course, that is not the case. Even though it is a layer area, Divergence is quite large, so we cannot create so many separate layers. 　If that happens, we may have to wait in line like in Ambuscade, and it may take more than two hours, so the issue is what to do about that. I hope we can get a little more time to solve that problem.

Interviewer: One of the most prominent responses in both Japan and overseas was the request for the addition of new stories and quests. What do you think about this?
Fujito: I understand that the power of "stories" is very large. 　If we could, we would like to visit Tavnazia itself and the Orc Empire in the north... but to be honest, it is difficult in many ways. 　As I mentioned earlier, there are ways to develop new stories outside of games, such as books and video works, so considering the current situation, I think it would be realistic to develop a new story in that direction.

Interviewer: Apart from requests related to the story, in Japan, requests for things that have already been implemented, such as job balance and adjustments to existing content, stood out. In contrast, in the responses from overseas, requests for the implementation of new things, such as the addition of new content and further growth elements, dominated the majority. What do you think about these requests?
Fujito: Personally, I think that the opinions of Japanese and overseas people are ultimately the same. In short, it's about "wanting to take on new challenges." So, regardless of whether 　it's an existing or new thing, I think we need to provide a place where people can take on new challenges every year, and as part of that, we have decided to implement the new Limbus this year.

Interviewer: Please tell us the outline of what the new Limbus will be.
Fujito:　New Limbus will be implemented as a non-occupying battle content that multiple people can participate in at the same time. It 　is designed to be something that you can play solo whenever you want, and we are proceeding with the production with no particular time limits for staying. 　Also, there are already many contents that can be played in a loop like Ambuscade, but New Limbus is designed to be more fun the more people participate, so that we can respond to requests for "I want to play with more people" and "I want to fight together". In 　addition, we have lowered the required cost to enhance artifacts and relic outfits, so that you can easily create the enhancements that have been implemented so far (up to +3). We want 　you to create something one level higher in New Limbus. These series of relaxations are intended to allow beginners and returning players to quickly catch up with the equipment of adventurers who have been playing for many years. 　Now, the crossover content "Echoes of Vana'diel" has been implemented in "FFXIV", and the number of people interested in "FFXI" is increasing. I've seen 　a lot of people who used to be adventurers but are playing again after a long time, so I want them to go through the troublesome equipment strengthening as quickly as possible.

Interviewer: The new Limbus will be a non-occupied area, but what kind of interaction will there be with other players?
Fujito: If it becomes an occupied area, it will inevitably be a form of forming a fixed group to conquer, and it will be difficult to fight only one enemy with multiple people like in the Domain Invasion. So 　, we aim to create content that allows you to adjust the strength of the enemies to a certain extent, and allows you to join where everyone is fighting, without getting in the way of others, and without having to be considerate of people who are already fighting. Of course, you can participate in a party, and there is no problem with forming a party with people who are already fighting on site.

Interviewer: As for the latest topic, the race change service will finally be introduced.
Fujito: We originally wanted to implement it at the same time as the May version update, but it is taking time to verify the server side of the exchange. 　There is a fee for changing the race, so we want to deliver it in the best possible form. The service is scheduled to start on May 19th.

Interviewer: Now that 23 years have passed since the service started, why did you make it possible to change the race? Please tell us your intention.
Fujito: Race change was a project that was requested a lot, especially from overseas. 　In FFXI, the character's appearance and name are a set that become the player's identity, so we made it impossible to change it with the intention of fixing the image as the player's avatar (alter ego). 　However, as the service continued, some people said that they wanted to change the appearance type or gender of their characters. 　Also, since there are many other games that allow such changes, we thought that this was a good opportunity in light of various recent circumstances, and decided to introduce the race change service.

Interviewer: Times are changing, aren't they?
Fujito: This game was originally made on the premise that the character's appearance would be kept the same, and changing it often caused various inconveniences in the system, but we decided to proceed in a way that players would accept to a certain extent. 　For example, if you change a Galka character to a Tarutaru, you will no longer be able to equip the Galka's exclusive costumes that you had. The same goes for gender-specific equipment, with some exceptions such as the dancer's special outfit. Many of these can be purchased at specific shops, so they are generally not exchanged. 　Also, considering appearance as a player's identity, we don't want players to be able to casually change their race or gender multiple times, so we made it a paid service to create a psychological hurdle for players to do so. Therefore, we hope you will use the service with this in mind.

Interviewer: Now, please tell us about your future plans.
Fujito: First of all, the first wave of new limbus is scheduled to be implemented in June. 　We will start with the basic parts, and then implement them in order. After that, I think we will implement "bipedal or quadrupedal" and "floating guys that shoot amazing buster-like things" (laughs). In 　the future, we plan to implement Besieged with content levels (CL) 114 and 119. Maybe CL114 and 119 will be implemented at the same time. The content level has been rising steadily so far, but it feels like the barbarian army is about to get serious. Also, the 　loot from the stronger base bosses will not be worth it if it continues like this, so we are also talking about creating a new table for when the marching level is high.

Interviewer: What about the strengthening of the Trusts, which you mentioned a little earlier?
Fujito:　This is still in the idea stage, so it has not been decided yet, but we are not thinking of simply increasing the Trust's parameters. 　For example, we are thinking of something like equipment that can be set for each type, such as a shield type or a mage type. 　It's similar to an automaton attachment. For a shield type, you can set something that makes you resistant to physical attacks or magic attacks, so it's something that can be customized to a certain extent. 　However, since it's still in the planning stage, we will review it if it becomes too complicated, and I think the actual adjustments will start next year or later.

Interviewer: You previously mentioned that you were considering implementing Ambuscade Armor +3, but what about this?
Fujito: I think it would be better to make some changes to the Ambuscade equipment. 　However, we are currently creating a step above artifact and relic costumes, and if that becomes easier to obtain, the significance of further strengthening the Ambuscade armor in the first place may be questioned. 　Therefore, if it becomes easier to earn each point of Ambuscade in the future, I think we will make adjustments to the overall system so that you can use the Ambuscade armor as a stopgap equipment until you get the artifact and relic costumes.

Interviewer: What about the ability to save blue magic sets and Karakuri attachment sets, which are also requested by many players?
Fujito: I know that many people want this, but it is difficult to start immediately. 　Right now, we are prioritizing the work of engineers on projects that are quite heavy and cannot be progressed, so we expect that they will start working on this project when they have a good gap.

Interviewer: As for future plans, I think that the second installment of "Echoes of Vana'diel," which was implemented in "FFXIV" as crossover content with "FFXI" in November 2024, will be released soon. First of all, what was the response to the first installment, "Jeuno: The First Walk"?
Fujito: Thankfully, it has not only been the impression of the content itself that it was "fun," but the Warriors of Light (※) have been streaming "FFXI" and people who have watched it have actually played it, wondering, "What is Vana'diel really like?" for a while now. 　Up until now, Shantotto and Iroha have made appearances in Eorzea, but this time, the world and characters of FFXI are appearing in huge volumes as regular content, so we are grateful that people are more interested in FFXI than ever before and are remembering FFXI. 　The number of FFXI players has also remained stable and slightly increased over the past year. It has been about half a year since the first installment was implemented, and it has been just the right amount of time for people to relive the story of FFXI.

*A general term for FFXIV players.

Interviewer: I have the impression that there were a lot of video distributions related to the collaboration.
Fujito: Also, as a campaign, we implemented the "Echoes of Vana'diel Discount" (until March 11, 2025), which halved the initial basic service fee when FFXIV players played FFXI, and many people were reminded that "FFXI is this kind of game." We plan to implement 　this campaign again when the second and third installments of "Echoes of Vana'diel" are implemented.

Interviewer: Finally, please give a message to all the adventurers of Vana'diel who are celebrating their 23rd anniversary.
Fujito: I think that the fact that there are so many players who have been with us and made the FFXI community stand out from other game titles is what sets us apart. That's why we want to meet your requests as much as possible. There are many things that are not realistic, but even in such circumstances, we have a strong desire to continue playing FFXI. Our first goal is to reach the 25th anniversary, and then the 30th anniversary, and we would like to maintain FFXI as a place where everyone can enjoy playing, so we hope that all adventurers will continue to join us in building Vana'diel.

Going back to the topic at hand. I'm not sure how I feel about alliance. Keeping up with a static is already hard enough nowadays.

So probably Apollyon = Relic and Temenos = AF?

I'm picturing something like abyssea + encounter flag. You can pop NMs, but nobody outside your group can interact with them. Guess they didn't explicitly state whether they'd be DI-style fights, though.

Try to think of FFXI like going to your favorite pub or hangout. Now imagine that place only allowed in groups of exactly six people.

On the other hand. A pub that required you to show up with 18 people every time would go out of business.

Which means they listened to feedback about the garbage 6 player limit in their last two events.

But if the event is a hardcore 18 people alliance, it will alienate people even more.

The good gear distribution from the alliance era was much more skewed towards the elite linkshells. Today you can get five joes and get the job done.

Interviewer: Please tell us the outline of what the new Limbus will be.
Fujito:　New Limbus will be implemented as a non-occupying battle content that multiple people can participate in at the same time. It is designed to be something that you can play solo whenever you want, and we are proceeding with the production with no particular time limits for staying. 　Also, there are already many contents that can be played in a loop like Ambuscade, but New Limbus is designed to be more fun the more people participate, so that we can respond to requests for "I want to play with more people" and "I want to fight together".

Nobody anywhere said 18, that'd entirely in your head. FFXI hasn't been alliances only is over a decade.

I think reading the interview questions might help

Interviewer: One of the most prominent responses in both Japan and overseas was the request for the addition of new stories and quests. What do you think about this?

Fujito: I understand that the power of "stories" is very large. 　If we could, we would like to visit Tavnazia itself and the Orc Empire in the north... but to be honest, it is difficult in many ways. 　As I mentioned earlier, there are ways to develop new stories outside of games, such as books and video works, so considering the current situation, I think it would be realistic to develop a new story in that direction.

If they write a XI novel, the cover better be purple