Square Enix has been going all out with partnerships for its popular MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, and today a rather prestigious one has been announced with the camera brand Pentax.
According to the announcement, the partnership involves a photographic context titled “The Beautiful World of the Warriors of Light” prompting players to submit their in-game screenshots with the theme “Sights found during adventures.”
This ties in with the adventure theme of the latest expansion Dawntrail and the improved visuals of the environment.
15 winners (one overall winner and 14 runners-up) will receive a set of three in-game items and their screenshots will be displayed at an exhibition in the real world. They will also receive the framed pictures used for the exhibition.
Additionally, 1,000 participants will be randomly selected to receive one of the three in-game items of their choice. They’re Cloud’s hairstyle, a special Chocobo mount, and the umbrella inspired by the Great Serpent of Ronka.
The entries will be judged by the Final Fantasy XIV management team, the Pentax team, and professional photographer Takumichi Seo.
The special exhibition displaying the winning images will be hosted at Seo-san’s own venue Imaging gallery GLEAM in Yokohama between September 3 and September 16, 2024.
The application period is between today and August 12 at 23:59 Japan time.
To apply, you need to follow Pentax’s X (formerly Twitter) account, and you need to post with the following text and your screenshot.
#PENTAX × #FF14
インゲームフォトコンテスト開催中！
詳細はこちらから⇒https://sqex.to/Oga8W
#FF14PENTAX
The screenshot should include only in-game assets (no mods are allowed if you’re wondering), you can’t use special frames, and the aspect ratio needs to be as close as possible to 16:9 or 9:16, with the longest size being at least 1920 pixels.
After posting, you need to fill up the application form (which requires to login). It’s in Japanese, but it’s pretty easy to translate with your browser. You can submit as many pictures as you want.
It’s worth mentioning that while the contest is all in Japanese and no mention of it has been made by the Western arms of Square Enix, there is no rule preventing players from outside of Japan from participating.
The only caveat is that Ricoh Imaging (which owns the Pentax Brand) will ship the winning framed images only within Japan, but you can still get the digital items.
Final Fantasy XIV is currently available for PC, PS5, PS4, and Xbox Series X|S.
