Naoki Yoshida, director of Final Fantasy 14 and 16, claims that one of the most recognizable videogame franchises is struggling to remain current.
Inverse quoted Yoshida as saying, “I think the series is currently struggling in regards to whether Final Fantasy is effectively adjusting to industry developments.”
“At this time, we get a lot of different requests about the course our game design should go. Since there are so many demands, it would be hard to accommodate them all with a single title. Right now, it seems like the only thing we can truly do is keep making as many games as we can to the best of our abilities.
The director, who has spent the last 18 years working for Square Enix, may be alluding to a variety of issues that have already affected the game industry or that pose a threat to do so.
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He confirmed that the FF14 wouldn’t include NFTs and ‘play-to-earn’ cryptocurrency mechanisms in a February letter to Square Enix and the gaming industry in response to their increased interest in these concepts.
And while the MMO is advertised as offering a free trial that you can access up to its Heavensward expansion, it still isn’t a fully free-to-play live service game like a Genshin Impact or what Ubisoft’s planned Assassin’s Creed Infinity claims to be. Neither will be used in Final Fantasy 16, the series’ upcoming main installment.
Furthermore, it won’t be an open world, but it will feature a first for the series: genre-bending clashes amongst its iconic calls.
Outside of the numbered installments, Final Fantasy games have pushed the genre a little bit toward more contemporary themes. Numerous mobile gacha Final Fantasy games are available; Brave Exvius received 45 million downloads last year.
The other spin-offs, such as the battle royale shooter that debuted last year and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, tend to diverge from the course of the original game.