Final Fantasy 16 producer says it’s an “impossible” task to please everyone

Andrew Highton

Final Fantasy 16’s lead producer believes that it’s becoming more difficult to make the complete Final Fantasy game that all fans of the franchise can enjoy.

It’s been a few years since Final Fantasy 16 was announced and details and footage of the game are probably taking a bit longer to emerge than die-hard fans would like.

Logically, this is because Square Enix is ensuring that they can make the newest entry in the famed JRPG franchise the best it can be. Final Fantasy 15 was enjoyed by many but had some faults that frustrated players.

Naoki Yoshida, director for Final Fantasy 14 and producer for Final Fantasy 16, has explained that the process of making the new game is very difficult now as trying to make everyone happy is a hard feat to achieve.

Final Fantasy 16 producer believes “the series is currently struggling”

In an interview with Inverse, Yoshida said: “In terms of whether Final Fantasy is successfully adapting to industry trends, I believe the series is currently struggling. We’re now at a point where we receive a wide variety of requests regarding the direction of our game design.”

From the series’ early, basic turn-based combat and storytelling mechanics to the wild and over-the-top summons, set-piece battles, and adventurous narratives of the present day, it appears that finding the right balance is proving to be tricky.

Yoshida also goes on to say: “It’d be impossible to satisfy all those requests with a single title. My current impression is that all we can really do is create multiple games, and continue creating the best that we can at any given time.”

This statement is evident as Square Enix is currently working on Final Fantasy 16, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – the second part of the remake trilogy.

There have already been serious questions asked about the format of Final Fantasy 16 from whether it’s going to be a true open-world experience, to its combat and if it will be continuing the recent trend of real-time combat in favor of the classic turn-based mechanics.

Final Fantasy’s fanbase means the title is likely to come under scrutiny however Square Enix approaches it, so we’ll have to wait what its feedback is like when it releases in 2023.