The Final Fantasy XIV official Twitter account dropped a sick post today. It was this massive announcement and the Warriors of Light were called to unite because there is a new After Dark video with the gang from the Trash Taste podcast. The reactions to this mixing of worlds are, shall we say, very different.
Trash Taste boys – that’s Connor, Joey, and Garnt if you don’t know them – are, in the video, discussing the FFXIV content. Supposedly, Connor is the one portraying Gaius van Baelsar in this? Some players, however, think it sounds a bit fire. Shian Kiri even said, “Connor as Gaius was actually pretty fire,” and to tell you the truth? I can envision it.
But the replies are where the conflicts arise. A major debate is happening regarding why Square Enix would collaborate with Trash Taste when, as one commentator pointed out, “only gigguk played the game btw.” Like Aleđť•Ź was saying that Connor would hardly last a moment with the speed of XIV and Joey doesn’t care about the game. But then GabrielKross pushed back with the real business rationale – “the goal is to get new people interested, if you sponsor someone whose whole audience already plays 14 what is the point?”
Sorry, what was I saying? Oh yes, the drama. There is so much drama in these replies that it is almost beyond imagination. People are arguing everything from whether some developers were let go (they weren’t, it was a promotion situation as far as I know) to whether the game is dying (it’s not) to… well, really personal insults that escalated a lot more than they should have.
There is a discussion where Felipe Martinez and Rob Ashenglow are disputing over a localization team member and it becomes very intense with accusations of transphobia and people questioning each other’s education and mental health? It’s extremely messy, and then derpy_dood shows up with the “COPE. SEETHE. MALD.” attitude which is just… the classic Twitter wars right there.
On the contrary, other gamers are simply ecstatic about this alliance. Niko Sapphire was like, “We need more of this from SE,” and honestly? So do I. By all means, Square Enix, continue to work with various content creators to make the game known to the new audience. It is not important if the Trash Taste audience is not the standard FFXIV audience, that is kind of the point, no?
KuraunHazuki also shared some very nice behind-the-scenes pictures from what appears to be Anime Expo, revealing that the public were actively participating in the making. CaptainBorcane is even advocating that Connor should now voice ALL of Gaius’s lines in the game, including even those that have not yet been recorded in Praetorium. Honestly? That would be so hilarious.
The timing is also noteworthy as it coincides with a lot of speculation regarding the next expansion. Some people in the replies are asking for Meracydia, then DoctorPlato announces that it has already been ruled out by the developers themselves. So much for that theory.
Nevertheless, what is really catching my attention the most is the community’s division over this collaboration. Some consider it a clever marketing move to entice new audiences, while others see it as useless because the Trash Taste guys are not hardcore FFXIV gamers. But to me, that is the exact reason why it works? If your marketing only reaches out to players who already use your game, you will not be able to increase the player base.
Moreover, let’s not deceive ourselves – Final Fantasy XIV has been through this. Do you remember when they recruited the most recognizable voice actors for Shadowbringers and Endwalker? The community was very opinionated then. A gamer’s community is lively, which is a good thing, but at times that liveliness morphs into… well, whatever it is that some of these replies say.
The After Dark video is indeed rather long, as one commenter said, “the longest ad I’ve ever seen,” which honestly only serves to pique my curiosity more to see it. If Square Enix is prepared to go to such lengths in a partnership with a podcast that isn’t even primarily about gaming, then they must have some very good reasons for wanting to reach out to that particular audience.
Last but not least, it is just fantastic that different gaming communities are interacting with the collaboration. Whether you are a fan of Trash Taste or absolutely detest them, a day-one FFXIV player or someone who has never played an MMO at all – collaborations like this one bring people together. Or at least they inspire engaging discussions. Sometimes those discussions get a little too heated, but that is just how gaming communities sometimes act.
So yes, the Warriors of Light are rallying, the Trash Taste gang is headed for Eorzea, and Twitter is, as usual, responding. The PlayStation and Xbox communities are also buzzing about this crossover event.
