Final Fantasy 16 Producer Hints Younger Team Could Take Over Next Game

The numbered Final Fantasy series is one of the most enduring franchises in all of gaming, and each new entry is a pretty big deal. Final Fantasy XVI was one of Square Enix's biggest releases of 2023, and fans are understandably curious about Final Fantasy XVII. It will be a very long time before we'll know anything about the next game in the series, but that didn't stop Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida from talking about it during a recent interview for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Speaking with PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida, Yoshi-P hinted that the next Final Fantasy could be headed by a younger team. 

"For the moment, I'll just say nothing's been decided yet. That said, if I had to say anything about that... I've had the chance to work on two of these, XIV and XVI, so maybe it's time for someone new, you know. Instead of having the same old guys handle the next one, 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 FF with challenges that suit today's world," said Yoshi-P. 

The Future of Final Fantasy

In a follow-up question, Yoshi-P was asked about advice he would provide for the producer of the next game. Yoshi-P noted that the person will have to "sit down and think about what you're going to spend years of your life on, what kind of experience you want your players to have, and what it is you want the fans to be playing. Yoshi-P noted that things could continue to offer real-time action like in Final Fantasy XVI, offer a blend between real-time elements with turn-based combat, or even go back fully to turn-based combat with a pixel art style! 

Final Fantasy First-Person Shooter

From the interview, it definitely sounds like Square Enix is keeping all options on the table for Final Fantasy XVII, and where to take things from here. That's very much in keeping with what the company has said in the past; last June, Square Enix vice president Yoshinori Kitase told Bloomberg that it's possible we could even see a Final Fantasy first-person shooter! It seems unlikely we'll actually see that happen, but it does speak to the company's current approach to the series. Kitase noted that the developers do not want to hang "on too closely to past values." 

Seven years passed between the release of Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy XVI, so it's going to be a bit of a wait before we find out what's next for the series. In the meantime, fans will have to settle for other related projects like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth! 

What do you want to see from the next Final Fantasy game? Do you want to see a younger team take over? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Video Games Chronicle]