With sales stagnating and fan demand rising, Square Enix eyes a multiplatform future for Final Fantasy XVII—and maybe even a return to turn-based roots.
Some say that the long-awaited remake of one of Square Enix’s most popular games, Final Fantasy IX is still not happening. Many people believed the project was progressing well, but new reports indicate that issues are occurring behind the scenes. This makes me wonder if the game is still being worked on or if it has been put on hold in secret. Recently, there was an interview, and we may have insight into what is going on with Final Fantasy XVII.
In an interesting new interview, Yoshi-P, the producer of Final Fantasy XVI, talked about Square Enix’s plans for the future, the possibility of turn-based combat coming back to the mainline Final Fantasy series, and why he won’t be working on Final Fantasy XVII. There aren’t as many blockbuster Final Fantasy games as there used to be, so both fans and critics are wondering where the series goes from here.
To start, Yoshida reaffirmed a big change in Square Enix’s publishing philosophy: all games will work on multiple platforms by default. He said, “Our president and CEO, Takashi Kiryu, announced this”. Kiryu was talking about the company’s renewed push for more platform support. “It’s likely that we’ll try to make releases for more than one platform in the future”.
When Final Fantasy Tactics: Evil Chronicles comes out on September 30, it will be available on more than one platform. This is a strong sign that Square Enix is ending long-term deals where one system gets exclusive content, like when FFXVI came out on PS5.
Yoshida didn’t confirm that FFXVI would be coming to Nintendo’s Switch 2, but he mentioned that work is underway to improve the game’s compatibility. He said, “It’s kind of like ‘no promises yet”. But he was upset that games like Bravely Default Remaster were only available on the Switch. He said that these kinds of remasters should also be available on PC and PS5.
Combat may be the most controversial topic among Final Fantasy fans right now. Even though Final Fantasy XVI had a lot of action scenes that felt like movies, many long-time fans still want the series to go back to its turn-based roots. When the interviewer brought up the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a critically acclaimed turn-based RPG based on Final Fantasy and Persona, that subject became the main topic of conversation.
When asked if Final Fantasy XVII could use a similar style of combat, Yoshida gave a complicated answer. He said that battle systems should be in line with the overall vision of a game, which should include its story, graphics, and how it is played. He said, “It’s not clear-cut whether it will become all turn-based or action-based”. “I might not be working on Final Fantasy XVII… we don’t want to get in the way of or limit our future directors”.
Yoshida will not be working on Final Fantasy XVII. This last point may be the strangest for fans. In FFXVI, he famously played down his part (he produced the game instead of directing it), but this time, what he said seemed clearer. It sounds like Square Enix is going through a generational shift in leadership because he pretty much flat-out says, “I’m not necessarily going to be on Final Fantasy XVII”.
Even though Yoshida didn’t say that he wanted to go back to turn-based gameplay, it’s easy to see why it would make financial sense. Combat systems that are based on turns are much easier to make than set pieces with a lot of action, like in Final Fantasy XVI. Yoshida said that the “Icon vs. Icon” fights in the game were so expensive that Square Enix had to get help from the Kingdom Hearts team, PlatinumGames, and other outside studios.
Now that Final Fantasy games consistently sell between 3 and 5 million copies, Square Enix could win back fans and lower production costs by bringing back turn-based games. Plus, there’s the matter of making things better. Consoles need to be able to handle a lot more action combat. On the other hand, porting turn-based games to different platforms is easier, especially for the Nintendo Switch 2, which is still not as powerful as the new hardware.
Fans and Yoshida both agree on one important point: the argument is not just about how to fight, but also about how the game is made. A lot of turn-based games have a lot of different types of characters, deep magic systems, customizable character builds, and their own progression mechanics. These are all things that make the classic Final Fantasy experience so great.
Those supporting systems went away when Final Fantasy XV and XVI switched to action systems. Only the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy kept a lot of that history, and that may have been more out of duty than creativity.
Who should come in if Yoshida is out? Creative Studio 1, which made the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth trilogy and Kingdom Hearts IV, is thought to be the most likely candidate. They are great at making games that combine action and traditional RPG elements, which makes Final Fantasy XVII a great fit for them.
