"The Writting of Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood" panel at #PAXEast2018 begins in 10 minutes. Watch here: twitch.tv/finalfantasyxiv
This panel's guests include Natsuko Ishikawa (Main Scenario Writer) and John Crow (English Localization Lead).
A breakdown of the writing process, including concepts for Kugane: 
Writing in the "scenario camp" here the important decisions are made. "There's no breaks for Yoshida."
"Each scenario writer has their own method" but Ishikawa says her way is to think of the overall flow - from one point to another.
Second is the characters involved in the story. It's important to have a story that meshes with [gameplay elements]."
Second is the characters involved in the story. It's important to have a story that meshes with [gameplay elements]."
"Some of these elements may not be shown explicitly in the game but she tries to develop as much detail as possible."
Examples of character traits that are not written in the script but are details that help them develop the character.
The two moods:
Since FFXIV releases quarterly patches and expansions every other year, there are certain elements in the scenario that take a longer lead time. Those get worked on first.
English localization lead John Crow takes the stage.
A look at the team's part of the office:
The team's intent with localization isn't to recreate the grammar and structure of the script in English but that it sounds like it is conceived and written in English. The game is intended for a global market and needs to complete with western-developed English scripts.
