Over 35 years in the past Hironobu Sakaguchi and a small group of builders launched the primary Final Fantasy recreation, inadvertently beginning a legacy spanning a number of entries and spin-offs that’s nonetheless going robust immediately. He might have bowed out to go his personal approach again in 2003, however he’s nonetheless often known as the daddy of the Final Fantasy sequence. It’s been 20 years since he left Square Enix and had something to do with the video games, which is why it’s been such a shock and delight to look at him reminisce and go all in on FFXIV.
Originally, he began enjoying the MMO as a courtesy in preparation for a chat on the sequence he was doing with Naoki Yoshida in 2021, however shortly discovered himself totally hooked. And enjoying 12 hours a day.
“It just about is 50% of my day,” Sakaguchi informed us throughout a panel on the latest FFXIV Fan Festival. “If I’m occupied with the time I spent not sleeping, I used to be enjoying 80% of the day. Then for those who took away the time I spent consuming, I feel I’d up it to 100%.”
He first began on the finish of September 2021 and had completed the bottom recreation and three expansions value of content material in simply over a month – a powerful feat for even most FFXIV diehards. While enjoying, he’d tweet his adventures, typically revelling within the nostalgic references to earlier video games.
Often the dev group can be following his progress on Twitter to see simply how far he would go. “More than something I’m actually completely satisfied,” stated Naoki Yoshida – director and producer of FFXIV – throughout a press Q&A at Fanfest. “Considering how busy Sakaguchi is, we have been questioning with baited breath to see how far he would go. But, after all, the idea of XIV is to function a theme park for the franchise. So to have the founding creator of the franchise play it and choose up on every ingredient – it makes us realise that what we have been doing for the previous 10 years actually resonates with us and is an actual motivator for us.”
While the group have been typically nervous about his progress, that they had nothing to fret about. “Oh yeah, man, it’s the alternative – I can’t depart. Final Fantasy XIV has grow to be a part of my life!” Sakaguchi revealed on the panel.
He’s grow to be so obsessed that he even has his personal in-game style model known as SakaGUCCI: “As a creator, I actually preferred getting my palms on crafting so I took my title as a play on phrases to craft gadgets with my title on them at hand out.” He’s even stored the sport’s economic system in thoughts, discovering a technique to deal with the difficulty of potential resellers for his gadgets. “I didn’t need to disrupt the world of XIV so having them glamour them on the spot or go into content material with them would forestall folks from placing it on marketboards and shield the integrity of the sport. It’s an awesome alternative to make new pals by doing this so I’m actually having fun with that.”
During Fanfest, each Yoshida and Sakaguchi performed by a number of boss fights in entrance of a crowd of 1000’s whereas each participating in a panel and exhibiting off their abilities in-game. Sakaguchi even made time for a spot of griefing by chasing Yoshida right down to hit him with tankbuster strikes and patting the underside of a semi-naked snowman. It’s gotten to the purpose the place he’s now tackling Ultimate content material (the toughest battles within the recreation). Much to Yoshida’s shock, “fact be informed, I had not anticipated that he would secretly deal with Ultimate content material.”
With the pair turning into so shut by Sakaguchi’s love for FFXIV, you’d suppose that them working collectively sooner or later sooner or later can be a positive factor, however Sakaguchi has different concepts. When requested if he’s ever contemplate engaged on a situation for the sport, his reply was emphatic: “Absolutely not! if I labored on this behind the scenes I’d not be capable of simply get pleasure from it as a fan. So no offence, however no.”
“Of course it might be nice to work collectively, and I perceive your reply, however perhaps I may ease you in with some seasonal content material?” Yoshida tentatively instructed in response.
“Absolutely not.” Sakaguchi was stalwart. Unfortunately, plainly Sakaguchi loves the sport an excessive amount of to ever contemplate engaged on it.
It’s been an utter delight to look at him play over the 2 years and simply get pleasure from it. It appears like such a uncommon factor to have the ability to come again to a factor you as soon as made and have been chargeable for, and be capable of get pleasure from your time with it as a participant slightly than a creator.
At the very finish of the FanFestival, Sakaguchi mirrored these sentiments after Yoshida thanked him for creating the sequence: “I’m going to thanks again for making Final Fantasy even higher shifting ahead.”
Unsurprisingly, it induced Yoshida to burst into tears. It’s the best praise he may pay, and if even the Father of Final Fantasy thinks a recreation is even higher than his personal then you realize it’s value enjoying.
