Following the box office bomb of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi left Square, as did a few folks who worked with him. In an interview on Episode 60 of My Perfect Console, host Simon Parkin asked Final Fantasy VII Rebirth producer Yoshinori Kitase if he ever considered leaving with his mentor and friend Sakaguchi-san, as well as what convinced him to stay.
“So I think there were two main reasons for me in deciding to stay at the time,” Kitase-san replied via a translator. “And I think one was that–while Sakaguchi-san was this creator that has established this history for himself and also had worked on these various projects throughout his legacy and time here–I myself was still feeling as if I was still forming my vision and still working toward that in that regards. So that was one of the reasons why I felt to stay. And a second reason also was I felt that I truly wanted Sakaguchi-san to still have this point of connection with the Final Fantasy series despite his departure. So that was another consideration.”
Kitase-san goes on to say that the second reason is less prevalent these days, given Sakaguchi-san’s more recent work. “Once he went independent, there was not a connection back into Final Fantasy until 2016 with Mobius Final Fantasy–which was the smartphone game–and that was the first time since Sakaguchi-san had left that he was able to promote and be connected to the Final Fantasy franchise again at that time with the Terra Battle. Nowadays, he can be seen again with the promos for Pixel Remaster or through the Fan Fest and he continues to retain his connection there.”
Sakaguchi-san’s legacy continues today, with Final Fantasy continuing to be a popular franchise. The most recent addition, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, has reviewed quite well. In GameSpot’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review, Tamoor Hussain gave the game an 8/10, writing, “Thankfully, what Final Fantasy Rebirth succeeds at eclipses what it fumbles. It’s a superbly designed gameplay experience that instills a sense of freedom while also making exploration rewarding in a meaningful way. Refined gameplay that makes character synergy a focal point breathes new life into the slick and satisfying combat, and all the while it reinforces the underlying themes of the story.”
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