The rest of the Final Fantasy franchise will surely be a little different following a decision that has just been made. One thing is certain, it will scare some people.
Final Fantasy is part of a very specific category of licenses: those that will never pass the gun to the left. At least, that’s what we imagine, since Square Enix is not ready to move on. The sequel to the FF7 remake is coming soon, and the successor to 16, FF17, will see the light of day. Besides, this will probably mark a change for the franchise. In any case, it promises to be potentially quite different from the last opus to date.
Final Fantasy 17 will change directors, make way for new blood!
For the moment, nothing is known about Final Fantasy 17. The next opus remains in the shadows, and at the same time, its development has certainly not yet started. Regardless, according to Naoki Yoshida, director and producer at Square Enix, someone else should take the helm of the sequel. As a reminder, our man supervised the 16th, and worked on other titles in the series, which makes him a true veteran. However, he wants to make room for new blood.
It was on a podcast that he explained his reasons. For him, new ideas could be born by making such a change. In his own words, it is often the same people who take care of the production, among other things. Yoshida wants it to be different with Final Fantasy 17. It remains to be seen whether this decision will please early fans. It goes without saying that this will not reassure some for the future of the franchise. Still, as he says, it can be refreshing. To be continued.
I had the chance to work on two of them, 14 and 16, so Maybe it’s time for someone new to come in, instead of letting the same old guys take care of the next guy.
I think in some ways it would be good to look to the future and get a younger generation, with a younger sensibility, to make a new Final Fantasy with challenges that fit today’s world .
The 16th has not yet said its last word
Well, we’re already talking about 17, but Final Fantasy 16 still has surprises in store for players. During the Game Awards 2023, he revealed two DLCs in broad daylight. One of them, The afterglow of the sky (Echoes of the Fallen), is available on the PlayStation Store for €9.99 each, or via the Expansion Pass for €24.99. The other, baptized The Rising Tide didn’t come out. It should arrive in spring 2024, and after that, Square Enix will have covered the game and its history. Once again, it was Naoki Yoshida who confirmed it:
The team that developed the game no longer exists. Except for members assigned to DLC. So we have no plans to make a sequel or spin-off of FF16.