Hironobu Sakaguchi Wants His Last Game To Be A Successor to Final Fantasy VI

Although the release of Fantasian, a turn-based RPG for Apple Arcade, in 2021, was meant to conclude the legendary career of Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, it appears as if the esteemed Japanese game developer still wants another shot. Fantasian was a glorious return to Sakaguchi's roots, a throwback RPG that managed to still add some new innovative gameplay ideas and an incredibly charming world chock full of handcrafted dioramas, an idea that evolved from his previous project: Terra Wars. Read more: The Most Influential Game Designers, By Genre Mistwalker, Sakaguchi's independent studio, created an updated version of Fantasian for modern systems, entitled Neo Dimension. This brought the game to additional platforms and added new features like voice acting. To top it off, it was even published by Square Enix. While Sakaguchi says he “intended Fantasian to be my final project before I retired,” he now wants to make another game in the same mold, one he hopes can be seen as “a successor to Final Fantasy VI.” The sixth Final Fantasy game is particularly notable as the last to feature pixel art before the series shifted to 3D. In an interview with The Verge, Sakaguchi answered some questions regarding how he wants to solidify his legacy. Regarding comparisons to Final Fantasy and his inspiration to make Fantasian because of Final Fantasy VI, Sakaguchi said: "My approach to creating Fantasian was different from my previous works. For this project, I aimed to tap into my inner creativity to earnestly craft an RPG once more, so because of this, drawing comparisons with existing games felt pointless to me. I intended Fantasian to be my final project before I retired, so it was somewhat of a farewell note from me." "With the production and release of Fantasian Neo Dimension — a definitive director’s cut version — I believe that the game has become complete. In the distant future, or maybe after I have already left this world, I imagine this game will find its meaning if someone chooses to look into the legacy of either myself or Final Fantasy." When asked what it was like to work with Square Enix (his former employer) again, Sakaguchi said: "It’s the place where I started my career, so coming full circle through the game I envisioned to be my final work was definitely a fascinating experience. There are times in life when we encounter coincidental full-circle moments or experience deja vu, but this particular instance felt very significant and comforting." When discussing how the biggest change for the game is the inclusion of voice acting, Sakaguchi said: "Since I wasn’t well versed with voice acting in games, I trusted Square Enix’s expertise and the artistic vision of director Takuto Nakamura. As a result, the voice actors — some of whom, for the Japanese version, were cast in consideration of their connection to Final Fantasy XIV — were all wonderful. Establishing how the characters would sound involved extensive collaboration as well as trial and error with the voice actors, which I believe is a testament to the numerous ideas and inspirations contributed by all the staff who took part in the voice recording process." When asked what it is about this style of RPG that makes it still relevant in the world today, Sakaguchi said: "Games that employ cutting-edge technology are very appealing. Improved graphics are a given, but I’m anticipating that future games will likely also incorporate AI in innovative ways, and I’m personally very intrigued by these games. However, apart from these advancements, I also believe there is an intrinsic desire associated with gaming experiences to immerse oneself in virtual worlds." "With games that have a similar style to Fantasian Neo Dimension, players can explore the virtual world and gain a sense of fulfillment that they have mastered everything that occurs within it. I think another factor is how these games allow developers to utilize energy created from this extraordinary technology to come up with unique mechanics that enable players’ total immersion in virtual worlds. It goes without saying that realizing both is feasible, and I do think that would represent the best kind of game." When asked about moving forward after the completion of Fantasian, Sakaguchi said: "I was thinking of making Fantasian Neo Dimension my final work, but the fantastic team that was assembled to complete this project was so enjoyable to work with that I found it hard to part ways. Humans are greedy creatures, aren’t we? For that reason, I’m currently working on a new project with the same team that worked on Fantasian Neo Dimension. It’s generally going to follow a similar style to my previous works, and it’ll be something that can be a successor to Final Fantasy VI in a good way — our goal is to create something old but new at the same time. It’ll be part two of my farewell note."

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