While NA Fanfest 2026 was filled with groundbreaking announcements, the news surrounding FFXIV‘s next alliance raid was perhaps the most surprising of all. While the game is no stranger to cross-franchise collaborations (such as Fall Guys, Nier: Automata, and Yokai Watch), this latest one still took many off-guard. The legendary anime series Evangelion will serve as the premise for Evercold’s alliance raid series, Ghosts of Desire.
EVA’s 30th Anniversary and the Yoko Taro Connection
The announcement comes during the Evangelion franchise’s 30th anniversary. The mecha series has become one of the most iconic anime of all time since it launch in October 1995. For the uninitiated, the plot focuses on protagonist Shinji Ikari as he pilots his Eva Unit (technically a bio-mech), in a fight against extraterrestrial “angels”. As the series progresses, Shinji’s psychological issues deepen and a conspiracy regarding the true nature of the angels begins to emerge. The late 2000s saw a four-film Rebuild revival of the series after the rights were obtained by Studio Khara, which concluded in 2021.
With EVA’s popularity came a wave of merchandising and cross-collaborations, including with Godzilla, Super Robot Wars, Phantasy Star, and more. So, a Final Fantasy collab isn’t the most out-of-pocket thing for the franchise.
However, there is an interesting connection between Khara and Square Enix. Yoko Taro, creator of the Nier franchise, previously collaborated with FFXIV in the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse crossover alliance raids. And earlier this year, Yoko Taro was announced as the writer for a new Evangelion TV series. Some internet denizens have been speculating about behind-the-scenes conversations between Square Enix and Khara. Perhaps Yoshi-P being a massive Evangelion fan also played a role?
What we do know is the alliance raid will not be a one-off, but will see new raids across multiple patches. Square Enix will be developing the content while Khara will supervise. CBU3 hopes to have more to show at the rest of this year’s Fan Festivals in Berlin and Tokyo.
Never seen EVA? Do you already have your Gendo glamour ready? Let us know on socials and keep checking back for more FFXIV news on this upcoming alliance raid.
