Yoshi-P, Final Fantasy 14 Project Lead: Young Players Struggle to Connect with the Series

“The latest games in the series may have been less appealing” to younger players, says Yoshi-P. Final Fantasy 14 director and longtime Square Enix veteran Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida admitted that, due to increased gaps between JRPG releases, younger players are finding it harder to truly connect with the franchise.

Square Enix has a lot on its plate: the third and final part of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is still in development, and Final Fantasy 17 appears to be at the very earliest conceptual stage. Meanwhile, the most recent main series entry, Final Fantasy 16, is almost three years old, with no continuation in sight. Compared to the two-year gap between Final Fantasy 7 and 8, it’s easy to see why Yoshida thinks the series resonates more with older fans.

In a Square Enix YouTube video dedicated to the launch of the mobile game Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, Yoshida explains why he hopes the game will attract both new and longtime fans:

“I’m 53 now, and I’ve been playing this series since the release of ‘Final Fantasy 1,’” Yoshida says. “But for the younger generation, people who grew up naturally accustomed to action-style battle scenes and competitive online games, the latest games in the series may have been harder to engage with. Partly this is simply because… the gaps between new releases have become longer, so some players haven’t had the chance to truly connect with the series like older fans did.”

Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, the first new entry in the mobile Dissidia series in eight years, features 3v3 team battles with bosses and a system inspired by social media. Yoshida hopes this will attract younger players:

“I hope both longtime Final Fantasy fans and character enthusiasts will enjoy this game as a completely new experience. It would be wonderful if, especially young players, could create a community here, share their enthusiasm, and explore the vast world of Final Fantasy.”

Extended development cycles are not unique to Final Fantasy. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim was released 15 years ago, and the release date for The Elder Scrolls 6 is still unannounced. The new Fable game will launch this fall, 16 years after Fable 3, and GTA 6 approximately 13 years after GTA 5. As budgets and player expectations grow, lengthy development times are becoming the norm. If Yoshida is correct, developers may need to create mobile and social media-focused games to attract younger generations.

Source: GameRadar