The next chapter of the Godless Realms Saga is officially on the horizon. During the Final Fantasy XIV North American Fan Festival opening showcase, Square Enix revealed that the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV expansion will be titled Evercold. This new installment follows the player's journey as they attempt to stop the Fourth Reflection from freezing over.
The Story Behind Evercold
While the title is now set, game director Naoki Yoshida revealed that the current name was nearly different. In a press conference held after the showcase, Yoshida explained that the original name for Evercold was actually rejected by Square Enix.
Rejected Names for Final Fantasy XIV Expansions
This isn't the first time the development team has faced title re-evaluations when managing Final Fantasy XIV expansions. According to Yoshida, finding the right identity for these major updates can be a difficult process involving legal and creative hurdles.
A History of Alternative Titles
The following names were considered during previous development cycles:
- Stormblood: Originally considered Rebellion, but was rejected due to various legal reasons.
- Shadowbringers: The team initially proposed the name Darkbringers.
- Endwalker: The development team had World's End as a candidate title.
"Before we settled on [Evercold], there was another name candidate that we had. But I mean, that's happened in the past as well," Yoshida explained. "For example, when we were trying to come up with a name for what became Stormblood, one of the names that came was Rebellion. Unfortunately that was rejected for various reasons, including legal reasons, so we couldn't choose that one. For Shadowbringers, we thought Darkbringers, but that was rejected as well. For Endwalker, the candidate was World's End, but that was not possible either."
