Hello all!
Stephanie from the PR team here!

This year, we were honored to partner with Otakon--an Asian cultural celebration convention--in Washington, D.C. to celebrate their "swords and sorcery" theme with special FFXIV job-themed passes and an Evercold lanyard. FFXIV Localization Supervisor Michael-Christopher Koji Fox and Global Community Producer flew in following a whirlwind Fan Festival in Berlin to participate in multiple panels and activities. It was incredibly wonderful to meet Warriors of Light from all around the area for a fun community activity-filled weekend.

Which Job Would You Pick?

Over 22 unique badge designs were created to celebrate the jobs in FFXIV, with special youth and child badges featuring Moogle and Chocobo. We hope fans had fun choosing their job badges and discovering all the designs throughout the convention!

Adventures in Localization: Koji Fox's Journey Across FINAL FANTASY XI, XIV, and XVI

Otakon started with a bang, featuring a Main Theater panel, titled 'Adventures in Localization," following the "Music of SQUARE ENIX" concert that went deep into the night. Thank you to the huge crowd that came out and those that stayed late for the meet and greet following the presentation!

During the panel, Koji delved into how he became interested in the Japanese language and how he ended up working in Japan, ultimately joining Square Enix in 2003. He regaled the audience with amusing stories from his experiences on many RPG titles, including FINAL FANTASY XI, XIV and XVI, how he got roped into performing for the PRIMALS, and ended with a couple points of advice for those who are looking to become localizers.

He was also joined on stage by Penguin Random House's Gary Thompson, Editor for the FINAL FANTASY XVI lore book, "LOGOS," who dove into the "Lorebookery" that went into crafting the book for global audience.

You can view the full archive of the panel on the SQUARE ENIX YouTube channel!

Duty Finder: Otakon 2026 - A FINAL FANTASY XIV Community Panel 

For our second panel, Koji and Foxclon had a hysterical time hanging out with the community, answering fan questions, and participating in a variety of interactive games. The Otakon crowd was so responsive; the room was positively shaking with all their reactions!

A highlight was the "Overcooked Extreme" segment where the duo, alongside live audience feedback, created their "ideal restaurant roster" from a pool of iconic NPCs from FFXIV! What do you think of the assignments? Where would you have assigned them? Some of these roles may or may not be terrifying to think about (our poor Fry Cooks...), but they were assigned with love.

From Restaurant Windows to Eorzea: Kunio Oka, Koji Fox and Foxclon 

Culinarian unlocked! Our last panel was a crafting inspired workshop hosted by the talented master craftsman of food samples, Kunio Oka! Both Koji and Foxclon got to craft their own food replicas live and learn about the process alongside the Warriors of Light in the audience. Can you recognize the food items they made?

Cosplay Gathering

There was also a great turnout at the Otakon FFXIV cosplay gathering! It was awesome to see how much love and hard work went into the outfits of those who attended! Everyone looked amazing! Koji and Foxclon even got to job change into a warrior and dragoon!

Autograph Sessions

Aside from the panels and cosplay gathering, it was wonderful to meet directly with many Warriors of Light at the official Otakon autograph sessions.

As Koji would say, are you excited for Evercold aka "EBI-cold" (translation: SHRIMP-cold)? (Art illustrated by a Warrior of Light mere hours after Koji said it during the Culinarian workshop.)

Embassy of Japan Booth

And finally, thanks to our friends at the Embassy of Japan in the USA for adding to the adventure with Warriors of Light "leveling up," winning prizes, and learning more about travelling to Japan.

Thank you again to the Warriors of Light who brought their excitement to Otakon!

~ Stephanie
PR Team