March 2nd marked the date of the SQUARE ENIX Premier Summit at their studios in Santa Monica. Members representing several leading community sites, including Stratics, were flown to Los Angeles to speak with key members of the Community and Development teams including the President and Chief Operating Officer of SQUARE ENIX, INC.

Many topics were discussed mostly centering on the fostering of greater communication lines and strengthening relations with the player base. The big announcement on everyone's lips is of course the much anticipated addition of an officially supported window mode for FINAL FANTASY XI. A release date is, as of yet, not official but word from the source is, it is coming.

Now as I am certain the specifics of the conference will be covered at length by many of my esteemed colleagues, I would instead prefer to take a moment to express my experience on a more personal level. I have been around the gaming industry for the better part of 20 years. In that time I have stood on both sides of the fence, both as a reporter and as a developer. This summit was a unique and refreshing experience that I wish the entirety of the FINAL FANTASY fan base to understand.

This was not an empty gesture with the simple intent of generating good press. Work as a reporter long enough and one can easily tell the difference. SQUARE ENIX is genuinely concerned with the opinions and the needs of it subscribers. As we of the assembled press sat around a large conference table doing our best to convey the feelings and desires of our visitors, heads or members of just about every department filled the room taking notes and participating in every aspect.

So many games designed in the Asian market suffer the stigma that a western release will never be more than a second thought. As I sat at lunch, directly across from COO Daishiro Okada he expressed with fervor his understanding of this unfortunate history among worldwide releases. He spoke with an exuberance of a new player as he shared with us his thoughts and plans for the future. In all my years I had never felt as at ease with a developer, let alone the head of major corporation.

At dinner the scene continued as we sat with Global Online Producer Sage Sundi and Executive Director Yasu Kurosawa as they shared tales of their own character's adventures and experiences with the same hurdles we all must overcome. In an industry where developers hop from company to company many of these people have been with the series release after release. Know that the future of your game is in the hands of people that not only love their jobs, but love the world you play in as well.

If you have been a player as long as I have I am certain you know the dispair that comes when you begin to feel that you are no more than a subscription to a developer, an ATM at a keyboard. Well I assure you, after seeing the amount of effort and concern that was put into this summit, after sitting and speaking at length with people whose responsibilities on a product of this magnitude go beyond reason yet walked among us as equals, you are in good hands.

They realize, this is your game as much as theirs, they are your development staff as much as SQUARE ENIX, and even though protocol dictates that they remain silent on the forums, they are always watching, they are always listening, and as players themselves, their heart beats as your own, a lover of all things FINAL FANTASY.

"Warzod"
Managing Editor
FINAL FANTASY XI Stratics
From your first steps to your final battle