Square Enix announced that it will collaborate with Tsutaya (the pottery brand, not the rental stores) on maki-e plates to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Final Fantasy XIV. The plates will be available to pre-order from December 12, 2023 until January 15, 2024.
Wajima-nuri is a type of Japanese lacquerware that differentiates itself from other lacquerware with the usage of multiple layers of urushi in the undercoat. Though the precise details of when this particular style of lacquerware came about, historians believe that the current version of it came about during the early Edo period. The reason why Square Enix and Tsutaya will work together to release wajima-nuri plates is to try and interest younger people in the ancient art.
There will be two wajima-nuri plates available for the Final Fantasy XIV collaboration. The first one focuses on Bahamut and the second references Meteion. The Bahamut plate costs 66,550 JPY ($451.75) and the Meteion plate costs 40,700 JPY ($276.30). Another Bahamut plate will be on display at the Final Fantasy XIV fan festival in 2024.
Though the original Final Fantasy XIV game came out in 2010, this 10th anniversary is actually referring to the current 2.0 version. The game was originally a critical and commercial failure. However, after Naoki Yoshida became the director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, he revamped it and then relaunched it in 2013. It then went on to become one of Square Enix’s most popular and profitable properties.
The Final Fantasy XIV 10th anniversary plates will come out after late March 2024. Final Fantasy XIV is readily available on the PS4, PS5, and Windows PC.
