Highlights

  • Final Fantasy producer Naoki Yoshida suggests that younger developers should lead a potential Final Fantasy 17, bringing new ideas and stories to the franchise.
  • Yoshida emphasizes that nothing has been decided yet regarding the development of the next Final Fantasy game.
  • The focus should be on creating a Final Fantasy game concept that ensures players have fun and enjoy the game for years to come.

In a recent interview with the former President of SIE Worldwide Studios Shohei Yoshida, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida stated that younger developers should head a potential Final Fantasy 17 over the old guard. Though the interview touched upon the development of Final Fantasy 16, Naoki Yoshida said that nothing has been decided as far as the franchise's future goes.

The interview came out as the Final Fantasy series geared up for a busy 2024 release schedule, with Yoshida and Creative Business Unit 3 (CBU3) at the helm of two titles. One of the most anticipated games of early 2024, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will kick things off for Square Enix on February 29. As for CBU3, Final Fantasy 16's second DLC, The Rising Tide, will launch sometime in the spring. Finally, the summer will see the release of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, the game's fifth expansion. At the time of writing, neither Dawntrail nor The Rising Tide had concrete release dates, so fans must hold on for more information.

splash art for tuliyolal the city of gold in tural from ffxiv dawntrail
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Though he had to choose his words carefully, the producer of FF14 and FF16 gave fans some tidbits to chew on. Over an hour into the interview hosted by Shuhei Yoshida on the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' YouTube channel, the head of Creative Business Unit 3 pondered if younger developers would be the ones to lead a potential Final Fantasy 17 project. Yoshida reemphasized that nothing had been decided on the development side by Square Enix. Yoshida said that, after working on two mainline Final Fantasy entries, it would be good to see new developers and new leaders have the chance to bring new ideas and new stories to the Final Fantasy franchise, rather than the old guard that has been with the series for years.

"For the moment, I'll just say nothing's been decided yet. That said, if I had to say anything about that... I've had the chance to work on two of these, XIV and XVI, so maybe it's time for someone new, you know. Instead of having the same old guys handle the next one, I think in some ways it would be good to look to the future and bring in a younger generation, with more youthful sensibilities, to make a new FF with challenges that suit today's world." - Naoki Yoshida

Given that the Final Fantasy series has a reputation for adapting and evolving from what came before, Yoshida hoped that whoever was in charge of the next Final Fantasy game would have the mentality of making it the way they wanted. Whether it be an action-focused entry like Final Fantasy 16 or a return to the turn-based combat style featured in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection, Yoshida said that the players having fun with the game years down the road should be what developers focus on when creating a Final Fantasy game concept to work around.

With expansions lined up for Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16, Yoshida and his team will have their hands full in 2024. Only time will tell when and how the future of the Final Fantasy series will shape up.