Greetings, Belfry community! It is a chaotic time to be a Final Fantasy XIV fan. Between developers losing sleep over unexpected community memes and a literal ice age heading our way in the next expansion, the dev team at Square Enix is keeping everyone on their toes. Here is a breakdown of the wildest FFXIV news making the rounds this week.

Yoshi-P Is Officially Confused By Our Chort Obsession

If you have run the new Clyteum dungeon recently, you already know exactly who Chort is. He is the large, round, purple-and-red sub-boss who curls into a massive ball and pinballs around the arena. Thanks to his goofy posture and hilarious name, the English-speaking community immediately turned him into a viral meme.

The meme became so massive that it caught the attention of director and producer Naoki Yoshida during a Q&A at the Berlin Fan Festival. His official stance? He has absolutely no idea why we love this guy.

“I’m really glad to hear that Chort was so well received, but honestly I couldn’t really understand the appeal of Chort… Of course, we do understand that he’s very popular and there’s been many memes. But really, I just couldn’t understand like… why.”

— Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P)

Yoshida did note that while the team doesn’t always understand regional humor—like the accidental, saucy undertones of a boss named Chort hanging out in “The Clyteum”—the developers love seeing the community have fun. He explicitly encouraged players to keep making their voices heard on social media whenever unexpected content strikes a chord.

World of Warcraft Inspires Major FFXIV Housing Overhauls

In addition to character design breakdowns, major gameplay infrastructure shifts are on the horizon. Yoshi-P revealed that two major housing updates are officially coming to the game. Interestingly, these changes were directly inspired by system features found in World of Warcraft. While specific deployment dates are still under wraps, these updates promise to fix long-standing structural limits for players who love interior design.

The Frost is Coming: FFXIV ‘Evercold’ Cinematic Teaser

Looking further ahead, the long-standing tradition of grand MMO adventures continues with the next major chapter: FINAL FANTASY XIV: Evercold. Square Enix dropped an extended cinematic teaser trailer giving us a grim, gorgeous look at the frozen waste awaiting our Warrior of Light.

👉 Click here to watch the official FFXIV: Evercold Extended Cinematic Trailer on YouTube!

The cinematic details a world stripped of its green, majestic trees and flowing rivers by a relentless, crushing ice age. Humanity has been forced to flee to the skies to survive. Check out the key details revealed so far:

• Launch Window: January 2027.
• Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Mac, Steam, and notably, the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
• The Story: The lower lands have become a frozen waste, but hope arrives in the form of a mysterious traveler from the sky.

On Our Radar: Soulframe

As a quick gaming aside for our multi-genre players, we are also keeping a close eye on the latest video updates for Soulframe, the upcoming free-to-play fantasy action-MMO from Digital Extremes (the creators of Warframe).

👉 Click here to watch the latest Soulframe Gameplay Trailer on YouTube!

Keep an eye on the blog for a deep dive into its combat and world-building soon!