The popular online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV will be taking its players to the “New World” when its fifth content expansion, Dawntrail, is released next summer. More than a passing reference to the age of European exploration, it is set on a new continent, known as Tural, which draws historical and cultural inspiration from pre-Columbian Latin America and civilisations such as the Aztec, Inca and Maya.
The game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida, announced the expansion at the end of July 2023 during an official fan festival. He explained that the story will begin with playable characters being invited to the New World. There they will oversee a contest over the throne of Tuliyollal – a major city in the region.
The journey to Tural is portrayed in the announcement trailer as a well-earned, exotic vacation for players after the apocalyptic events of the game’s last expansion, Endwalker. While some Latin American players are excited to see their historical culture represented in the game, other players have expressed concern about the colonial role their player character might play in the story.
