During a round table interview with Japanese media at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Tokyo, producer and director Naoki Yoshida discussed hypothetically what would happen if he wasn't around to lead the development team.
As reported by Famitsu, Yoshida-san was asked if he ever thinks about handing over management perhaps many years from now.
He explained that he has two or three ideas for development even after 8.0 (the expansion coming after Dawntrail), so he believes he can continue to be in charge at least until 9.0 without running out of ideas.
That being said, he believes that telling the staff too much about the future makes things more difficult, so these ideas are only in his head for now.
First of all, he'll do his best in the present, and steer the ship while moving toward the development he has in mind, so he hopes that fans will continue to enjoy with peace of mind the voyage on the "FFXIV" ship with him.
He has said before that Final Fantasy XIV is his life's work, so, as long as he's involved in the gaming industry, he'll continue to do his best with this game.
On the other hand, hypothetically, if he were to collapse, he believes the FFXIV team would be fine.
While there may not be someone to do a 2-hour presentation at Tokyo Dome (like the one he did yesterday about the upcoming Dawntrail expansion), he's confident that his team can deliver the same excitement and information.
The same is true for development and direction. He has already subtly told a few people about the direction he's heading toward, and there are people willing to take charge and responsibility.
Due to that, even if he were to fall, the production team would still be able to perform as a team and he can think of a few people who could handle the game design direction.
The only thing that would change is that no one would convey his individuality. On the other hand, there may be some that could step forward unburdened by his presence, and that would be an opportunity for new ideas to emerge.
The Final Fantasy XIV team has grown stronger and tougher than you might think. I believe things are safe for the time being, so please play with confidence.
Yoshjda-san jokingly concludes by mentioning that even if he were to retire from the gaming industry, we shouldn't worry. In that case, he'd just take the role of "a player who constantly complains to the development team."
Final Fantasy XIV is currently available for PS5, PS4, PC, and Mac, It is also coming to Xbox Series X|S at some point this spring with an open beta kicking off in February.
The new expansion Dawntrail is coming in the summer of 2024, with no final release date announced just yet. You can check out the full trailer released yesterday.
If you want to get ready for the expansion, you can purchase a copy of the game on Amazon.
Before the Fan Festival in Japan, Square Enix hosted the Fan Festival in London and the latest Eorzean Symphony Orchestra Concert. You can learn more about both through our reports,
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