License Final Fantasy is now one of the most popular in the world. However, when we look at the sales figures for the latest episodes to date, we are obviously a long way from other phenomenal sagas, whether GTA, call of dutyor even god of war (the latest episode sold twice as much as Final Fantasy XV for example). Yet it remains Square Enix’s hallmark of excellence, and one only has to see the reactions around Final Fantasy XVI to see that the enthusiasm is still present. But for Naoki Yoshida, the current situation of the series is not ideal.
A license that cannot satisfy all demands
The producer of the sixteenth opus gave an interview to Inverse in which he returns to the current state of the license. While he is obviously very enthusiastic about the idea of seeing this Final Fantasy XVIand to see Final Fantasy XIV develop more and more, he remains pragmatic about the place of the series in the current industry:
” As to whether Final Fantasy is successfully adapting to industry trends, I think the series is currently struggling.. We are now at a point where we are receiving a wide variety of requests regarding the direction of our game design. To be honest, it would be impossible to satisfy all these demands with just one title. My current impression is that all we can really do is make more games and keep making the best we can at all times. »
It is true that the series does not have the reputation of following the trends of the moment, except when Square Enix persists in declining Final Fantasy VII in all its forms, as with Battle Royale. But Yoshida reassures us, as long as he can create games, he will. He even has desires for a new MMO:
“ I’m the kind of person who’s happy as long as they can make games, so even though there’s nothing special right now, I sometimes think I’d like to make another MMORPG, from scratch, before I die. »
This might interest Square Enix, if ever Final Fantasy XIV had just bowed out.