With the newest expansion, Shadowbringers, released earlier this year, Square Enix wanted to create a unique swag item for Final Fantasy XIV at PAX West 2019. The new expansion flips the switch on the standard RPG narrative; this time, the hero needs to become the Warrior of Darkness to save a realm overrun by light. The Greatsword is the iconic weapon for the Dark Knight class, so we made 10,000 of these branded foam swords for the event. We did a lot of fine-tuning to make sure the weight and grip of the foam swords felt just right. These were distributed in a giveaway at Square’s booth, but were also part of a prize pack for winning a battle contest at the show.
