But are they going to have a story that is as engaging as FF16's story? I think that's what sets it apart. In those games, yes you're going to have action, you can have those RPG elements. And so we wanted to make sure that we had our first and foremost focus on the story and we think that is going to set us apart from all those other games out there. Like, even if they liked the game, they're left wanting because one of those main pillars of the Final Fantasy series, stories, was not given to them. And a lot of people were disappointed in that. ![]() And then they try to make it complete, and then they promise some more story, but then they don't give us the story.Īnd so you had a lot of people that went into the series wanting us to give them a great story, and they didn't get that. And you look back at the previous games, at FF15 - they had their story, but it wasn't complete. ![]() We put our main focus, even more than action, on that story. Again, while we're moving to action and we put a lot of effort into creating action, it's got to be about the story. I think what sets Final Fantasy XVI apart is that we focused. Then you have those action games that are like, 'yeah, but people really like these RPG elements, so we kind of need to go this way.' And so everyone's kind of like - there's this window of that perfect blend that everyone's aiming for. So you have these very classic hardcore games that are like 'okay, we need to make ourselves a little more modern, we need to bring in those action elements. Yoshida: It's interesting, but I think that everyone is kind of aiming for the same sort of things. ![]() So how do you make sure that you don't end up lost in that muddle? How do you stand out in that space? and you're sort of meeting in the middle. So it's like you've got those games coming from the action axis and becoming more RPG, and you're going the other way from RPG towards action. You meanwhile have Final Fantasy, which is very traditionally an RPG, and you're moving it towards action. There's Star Wars Jedi Survivor recently. Zelda is more RPG-ish than it's ever been. Even right now - I previewed Street Fighter 6, and the single-player there is a full-on RPG. We have a saying among our staff, which is 'everything is an RPG these days'. RPG Site: So today, a big part of it is seeing RPG stuff. Through a ladder system, maybe." And you've done exactly that, haven't you, with the challenge stuff, which has online leaderboards? You said it 11 years ago you did it! "If I do work on a single player game, there'll still be an essence that you can compete with others. This was right as you started on FF14.Īnd you said. ![]() RPG Site: Well, y'know, on that topic - I went back to our first interview - which was over 11 years ago now.! What's really impressive is that in that interview we talked about what you would want to make if you made a single player Final Fantasy game. Naoki Yoshida: I mean, I've been working with you for so long on coverage for FF14, so we've been really, really interested to see how you responded to FF16 - so that's great to hear. RPG Site: Just while I set up, I just want to say - I’m really impressed by how you’ve tried to thread the needle between Final Fantasy and something new. Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, Naoki Yoshida, and Hiroshi Minagawa from the Final Fantasy XVI development team. The conversation has been edited for clarity. The discussion touches on fan expectation, hopes, fears, what sets FF16 apart - and plans for the future. Two of those veterans - art director Hiroshi Minagawa, and localization boss Michael Christopher Koji Fox, flanked Yoshida in the interview room. RPG Site was one of the outlets Yoshida spoke to back then, when he was a relative unknown promising to work a miracle on a truly broken game.įast forward to 2023, and he’s in the big chair: producing the latest main-line Final Fantasy, backed by a team of veterans from across the company. In my preparation for a meeting with the legendary boss of FF14 to talk about his team’s latest game, I reread the transcript of our first meeting - almost twelve years prior, when he first took over Square’s beleaguered MMO and embarked on a worldwide apology tour.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |