Marking a first for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, a video game-themed float will make its way down Oxford Street as part of the annual celebration.Square Enix announced today that it has collaborated with the Sydney Gaymers group to bring a Final Fantasy XIV Online float to the parade this year. The float is described as `unique and exciting,` and it`s themed around the title `Realms United.``It means so much to receive direct support, validation, and acknowledgement from such a force in the industry,` Sydney Gaymers organizer Peak Distapan said in a statement. `Not only that, to be supported by a game where so much of our community and values are represented.`The Final Fantasy XIV Online community does not discriminate and respects everyone`s freedom and their individual values equally. For many LGBTQI+ people, online communities provide a space for the journey and exploration of personal identities They allow us to connect, and celebrate, and they reinforce that we are not alone.`Final Fantasy XIV Online producer and director Naoki Yoshida said the float at the Mardi Gras parade builds on the relationship Square Enix fostered with Sydney Gaymers at PAX Australia.`To see it makes me very happy indeed, both as the person in charge of FFXIV and also as just another player of the game,` Yoshida said. `FFXIV is another world that continues to grow and expand online. In that world people become adventurers, known as the Warriors of Light, and can continue to be free.`The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade takes place on Saturday, March 2. The parade is truly massive, taking over a significant part of the city and drawing crowds of thousands. Last year, Cher appeared in the parade and put on a show after.No images of the Final Fantasy XIV Online float for the Mardi Gras parade have been released, but keep checking back with GameSpot for more.In other news, the game`s next big expansion, Shadowbringers, launches in July.
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