Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida’s work on Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16 has been exceptional, with many arguing he’s the best thing to happen to this series in recent years. The legendary creator was asked if he’ll be directing Final Fantasy 17 but he said it should be someone new instead of “the same old guys.”
Speaking in the AIAS Game Maker's Notebook Podcast (via GamesRadar), Yoshida said that he feels the series needs some fresh blood. Yoshida feels that someone younger who can make something more fresh and in line with today’s gaming interests would be great for this franchise’s next installment.
"I think in some ways it would be good to look to the future and bring in a younger generation, with more youthful sensibilities to make a new Final Fantasy with challenges that suit today's world," Yoshi-P said.
When Yoshida was asked about advice he would give to the future director of Final Fantasy 17, the director said each series is about challenging what’s been done before. Yoshida says he feels that the next installment will either mix turn-based and real-time combat or go full turn-based, maybe even going back to its pixel visual roots.
It is refreshing to see someone in Square Enix push for someone new, especially since Tetsuya Nomura just talked about not wanting anyone else to work on Final Fantasy VII Remake. Only time will tell if some actual new blood will work on the next game, though that doesn’t mean the old blood should be dismissed entirely.
Fans are curious as to how Final Fantasy 17 will differentiate from its predecessor since the series has embraced real-time combat recently. Both 15 and 16 used real-time combat, while the FF7 trilogy also used a similar system for all three games. We can’t say for sure if the next entry will be pure turn-based bliss, but anything can happen.
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Don’t expect news on Final Fantasy 17 anytime soon. In the meantime, Final Fantasy 16 is readily available on PS5, with a PC port potentially launching this year.
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