Naoki Yoshida expressed his concerns about undertaking Final Fantasy 16 while simultaneously continuing his role as the producer and director of the MMORPG Final Fantasy 14.
In an interview on the PlayStation Blog, the producer of Final Fantasy 16 shares how he felt honored to be presented with the chance to work on a single-player game within the series. However, he also contemplated that fans might criticize him. “I responded with, ‘Thank you, but I’m fully occupied with Final Fantasy 14. Let me ponder over it.’ I genuinely felt privileged that the company selected my section, Creative Business Unit 3, to be accountable for creating the next installment in the FF series. Nevertheless, as you likely are aware, I’m already the producer and director of Final Fantasy 14. I was apprehensive that if I also took on the directorship of 16, fans of both games would have valid grounds to believe that I wasn’t devoting my complete attention to either project,” Yoshida stated.
Undoubtedly, the offer of Final Fantasy 16 comes on the heels of the tremendous success that Yoshida and Creative Business Unit 3 have achieved with Final Fantasy 14. And while there will undoubtedly be an influence of 14 on 16, Yoshida is eager for the new game to possess its own distinct identity.
“[Final Fantasy 16] is its own entity, distinct from [Final Fantasy 14] and the other games in the series. Thus, you won’t discover as many ‘tributes’ as you would in [Final Fantasy 14]. That doesn’t imply that there won’t be any Easter eggs, though! That being said, the primary focus of [Final Fantasy 16] will be on upholding that series-wide sensation of ‘playing a movie’ rather than drawing extensively from past titles,” Yoshida informed IGN.
He further elaborated to Game Informer: “So, Final Fantasy 14 was meticulously designed as an MMORPG from the very beginning, whereas Final Fantasy 16 has been crafted as a single-player game from the onset. Consequently, right from the start, you’ll encounter entirely distinct design concepts. As you are well aware, MMORPGs are primarily about the long-term – you’re piecing together experiences over an extended period to sustain that user base.
“On the contrary, single-player games are, to a certain extent, more about that, I suppose you could say, immediate satisfaction. They are fast-paced and thrill you. That excitement is concentrated into a more compact package. With this in mind, you can envision that, at least in terms of the system, Final Fantasy 14 won’t have had a substantial influence on Final Fantasy 16.
“However, it should be noted that one of the most exceptional aspects of Final Fantasy 14 is the kind of connection that the development team maintains with the community, and the considerable amount of communication that occurs between the development team and the community. Over the past 11 years, interacting with the community has provided us with a wealth of highly valuable information regarding what fans desire and anticipate from the series. And having this 11-year knowledge base has assisted us and enabled us to incorporate some of those ideas into the development of Final Fantasy 16.”
Yoshida has also provided more particulars about the game’s action battle system and Eikon battles, while confirming that the game will not take place in an open world.
Final Fantasy 16 is slated for release in summer 2023.
