Naoki Yoshida hints that Final Fantasy XVII may be led by a younger team

Naoki Yoshida, director of Final Fantasy XIV and producer of Final Fantasy XVI, is one of the most beloved and charismatic figures in the industry and a pillar of Square Enix and Japanese gaming. He recently sat down with Shuhei Yoshida, former president of SIE Worldwide Studios (PlayStation Studios) for more than a decade, on the Academy of Interactive Art & Sciences (AIAS) YouTube channel. A talk in which the latest installment of the popular franchise was the main protagonist, but in which there was also room for other topics, among which highlighted the future Final Fantasy XVII and Yoshi-P’s opinion on the team of people who should direct this next installment.

During the interview, Naoki Yoshida emphasized that “for the moment, I’ll just say that nothing has been decided yet. That said, if I had to say something about that... I’ve had the chance to work on two of these - Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16 - 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 Final Fantasy with challenges that suit today’s world.”

The experience and value of Naoki Yoshida at Square Enix

Yoshi-P is a kind of savior for the Japanese company, a person who knew how to give a new life and remake a game that was completely lost as Final Fantasy XIV, until it became one of the most popular titles in history and undoubtedly one of the most profitable for the company. During the talk, he was also asked about the advice he would give to the next Final Fantasy producer, to which he replied that that person would 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 is it you want the fans to be playing.