For those eager to know more about the much-anticipated Final Fantasy XVI, your wait is over.
Like us, you’ve probably pored over every piece of text, every screenshot, and every trailer since the game was originally announced back in 2020. We’ve got the first information about the world and its charactersand most recently a closer look at the gameplay as well That important release window. Producer Naoki Yoshida walked us through all three here on PS.Blog.
Now, we can quiz Yoshida-san to pull back the curtain (a little bit) on the game’s development. Here, we get his personal perspective on, among other things, answering the call to create the latest mainline Final Fantasy title, in development for PlayStation 5 and his favorite Summons. Let’s go there.
Naoki Yoshida, Producer of Final Fantasy XVI
PlayStation.Blog: What do you think is the core tenet of a Final Fantasy game? Did the development team look to previous titles in the series for guidance or inspiration when building FFXVI?
Naoki Yoshida: I would say that the core elements of a Final Fantasy game are a deep story, deep gameplay, cutting edge graphics and cutting edge sound… of course as well as chocobos and moogles.
In the 35-year history of the Final Fantasy series, the guiding policy has always been that each new installment must be the best game a director at the time could put together, regardless of the game world, the characters. or how. The combat system is subject to change. As a result, Final Fantasy gamers and fans around the world have very different ideas about what a Final Fantasy game should be like — but for me, those are the elements I mentioned.
“Each new installment has to be the best game a director at the time can put together”
When I have to decide what to do with Final Fantasy XVI, I think back to when I played the original Final Fantasy and recall how I felt as if I was starring in a motion picture. I want to get that feeling back in XVI, but with modern game design and latest modern technology. The entire development team, under the direction of Hiroshi Takai, has come together to make that dream come true, so I hope you all look forward to it.
PSB: Thinking back to the early days of the FFXVI project, do you remember how the conversation went when you were asked to produce this new main entry? What was your initial reaction?
NY: I said “Thanks, but I already have the full Final Fantasy XIV, so let me think about it.” I’m really honored that the company chose my part, Creative Business Unit 3, to be responsible for the next entry in the FF series. But, as you may know, I was the producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV. I was worried that if I also took over as director of XVI, fans of both games would have good reason to believe that I wasn’t giving both projects full attention.
To ensure that the development of XVI did not affect XIV, we selected a very small group of core team members to start with, and over the course of several years, transition slowly and carefully to start new work game, until we have fully assembled the team.
PSB: How was the composition of the rest of the FFXVI development team decided?
NY: Being the director of a Final Fantasy game is a tougher job than people imagine. Not only do you have the expectations of fans and the media, but you also have to be under constant pressure from the development team. You always have to take up the challenge.
I have worked with Hiroshi Takai for many years and he is one of my most trusted colleagues as well as a veteran developer, so I asked him if he would take on the role. This didn’t – and thankfully, he agreed. That’s how it all started. We brought two other members to the team, and between the four of us, we outlined the core concepts of the game and its world, as well as the key themes we wanted to come up with and get going. Write the main plot. . Then we put a few more members on board to take charge of the combat and the graphics, and through a process of building on what worked and weeding out what didn’t, we gradually progressed to comprehensive development. And at some point, I thought “Please don’t let this affect Final Fantasy XIV!”
PSB: Speaking specifically about the story-writing process (not the narrative details), how did it feel to move from a multi-year extension to a self-contained, self-contained story?
NY: I’ve worked on non-MMORPG games before, so that shouldn’t be a big hitch. Plus, each new Final Fantasy XIV expansion has the same level of new story content as a standalone RPG, or maybe even more, so it’s not too different from the job. mine about that game. The only big difference I’ve noticed is that, if I want something upfront, I have to pay it off a lot faster!
PSB: Every Final Fantasy logo conveys a core theme of the game in some way. How does the logo of Final Fantasy XVI do this?
NY: Yoshitaka Amano’s logo design is full of meaning, as you’d expect. It shows two Eikon going against each other… and the rest, for now, is a secret.
PSB: After debuting the new trailer for FFXVI’s “Dominance” in State of Play, we finally have the release window! Where will the development team focus their efforts this final year before the game’s launch?
NY: For now, the game is fully playable from start to finish, but we have a lot of dubs in several languages that still need to be recorded. Final Fantasy XVI is an action-packed game, so we’re also doing a lot of work to fine-tune the difficulty level, as well as include the final touches in the cutscenes and go through the debugging process. overview. A year is a short period of time in the development of a game, so we are all working little by little to complete it.
PSB: It’s now been confirmed that there are several members of the Final Fantasy XIV development team (including you!) working on FFXVI – you have specific systems or processes in place to secure the teams can perform to their best in two different games without burning yourself (or yourself)? I imagine a lot of work on XVI must have taken place at the same time as the preparations for the final FFXIV Endwalker…
NY: I wouldn’t call it a system, but the project managers and production assistants on both projects did a great job of planning my schedule to make sure I wasn’t overwhelmed. I wouldn’t have a clue how to keep myself organized without them!
All decisions regarding the overall management of the department, I try to delegate to upper management as much as possible, which allows me to focus on my work as a producer and director. . Instead of a specific system or process, it’s the teamwork we’ve built over the years. Masayoshi Soken has people of his own in the Audio department who handle his schedule for him.
The Eikons Garuda and Titan, and their rulers, Benedikta Harman and Hugo Kupka
PSB: Two Part Question: What is your favorite recurring Summon from the Final Fantasy series in general, and why? What is your favorite Summon in Final Fantasy XVI, and why?
NY: It must be Bahamut for me. Not only did he destroy his enemies, but the ground they were on — even the entire planet! Every time he shows up, you know something unbelievable is about to happen. It helps that he is an important part of Final Fantasy XIV’s story. As for the Summons appearing in Final Fantasy XVI, I actually have my favorite, but I can’t tell you right now as it inevitably leads to a lot of speculation. What I can tell you is they are all cool as hell!
PSB: The new trailer for “Dominance” also showcases more of the game’s music. With Masayoshi Soken now confirmed as FFXVI’s composer, can you share any details on the trailer’s music? Is the music we heard in the trailer just for this beat, or does it include themes and content that we can expect to hear fully in the game?
NY: All of the music is still unfinished, but Soken is the type of composer who likes to reuse parts of the game’s soundtrack in the trailers. I’m sure you’ll hear some of the themes and motifs that will make their way into the in-game music in the latest trailer. You’ll have to invite Soken for an interview to find out more — but please, only if he finishes the soundtrack!
PSB: What is the PlayStation 5 hardware that previous generations couldn’t get?
NY: With the boost in processing power, we can obviously make the graphics much richer than before, but it’s the super-fast load times that really impressed me. In Final Fantasy XVI, you jump straight from story cutscenes to real-time battles and back without any load time, making gameplay unfold at breakneck speed. Only thanks to the power of the PlayStation 5 can we make Final Fantasy XVI such a roller coaster ride.
