Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has said it might be time for a younger generation to lead the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17.
Speaking to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences as part of an interview with Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida, Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida made clear publisher Square Enix hasn’t made any decisions regarding the next mainline game’s director, but did imply it won’t be him.
“For the moment, I’ll just say that nothing has been decided yet,” Yoshida said. “That said, if I had to say something about that… I’ve had the chance to work on two of these – Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16 – 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 Final Fantasy with challenges that suit today’s world.”
Bringing in new people to overcome what’s come before seems imperative to Final Fantasy too, as Yoshida said the series is “all about challenging what’s been done before”. He added: “While I’m certainly not looking to pick a fight with the older games, we all make Final Fantasy games thinking, ‘Mine will be the most fun.'”
Final Fantasy 16 arrived on PlayStation 5 in 2023 and brought the franchise’s iconic big swords, big monsters, and big hair to a dark and dramatic western fantasy setting (that appeared inspired by Game of Thrones). It will likely be years before Square Enix even talks about Final Fantasy 17, but it’s otherwise kept busy with spin-offs like Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, which arrives in February 2024. Meanwhile, another story-based DLC is in the works for Final Fantasy 16, as is a PC version.
In our 9/10 review of Final Fantasy 16, IGN said: “Featuring fast, reflex driven, action heavy combat, Final Fantasy 16 is certainly a departure from what fans may expect out of a Final Fantasy game, but its excellent story, characters, and world building are right up there with the best the series has to offer, and the innovative Active Time Lore feature should set a new standard for how lengthy, story-heavy games keep players invested in its world.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.