On December 11, 2020, Final Fantasy XIV’s director, Naoki Yoshida, published a letter to the official Final Fantasy XIV developer’s blog regarding his friend and Dad of Light author, “Maidy,” who died from colorectal cancer on December 6, 2020. Maidy is the name of the Final Fantasy XIV avatar for the person who originally authored the autobiographical story, Dad of Light.
Before addressing Maidy, Yoshida addressed the readers, saying that he struggled with the appropriateness of posting the letter to the Developer’s Blog. “But I’m sorry,” he continued. “Please allow me to be selfish just this one time.”
The letter was finished on December 10, 2020, and is addressed “to my dear friend and comrade.” In it, Yoshida talks about how he first learned of the news of Maidy’s passing. He talked about how he first encountered the writer on December 6, 2010, exactly a decade before his death. He spoke of Maidy’s personality, which renewed Yoshida’s resolve to make a better game for the players. He mentioned deciding to meet Maidy in person for the first time during production of the Dad of Light TV drama. He talked about the connection they had as gamers, their shared love of Gundam, a 2018 hospital visit when Maidy underwent surgery for cancer, how he felt when he heard of the recurrence, how he reacted when he heard of Maidy’s death, and regrets he still holds.
Yoshida finished his letter with a portrayal of an afterlife. “Once time passes, I’m sure there will be a day when I can see him again.” He imagined a scenario where Maidy sees Yoshida with a “sprout” on his head, indicating that he’s a “newcomer,” as it would in Final Fantasy XIV. Then they would go adventuring together.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light is a story based on Maidy’s experience in Final Fantasy XIV using his character’s anonymity to form a bond with his emotionally distant father. Final Fantasy XIV, and all of its expansions, can be played on PC, the PlayStation 4, and on PlayStation 5 via backwards compatibility.
