Final Fantasy Creator Shares His Thoughts On FF16

Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has played the contentious latest entry in the series, Final Fantasy 16, and he has now weighed in with his thoughts. In a tweet, Sakaguchi called the game the “ultimate fantasy Final Fantasy,” although just what he meant is up for debate.

It’s worth noting that this is a translated tweet, which does leave room for interpretation. As noted by streamer and Final Fantasy fan Audrey AKA Aitai Kimochi, Sakaguchi could be referring to a number of things, including Final Fantasy’s original title of Ultimate Fantasy or a specific line from the Japanese dub of Final Fantasy 16.

In a follow-up tweet with an image of the Bahamut Eikon from Final Fantasy 16 flying into battle, Sakaguchi briefly wrote about the qualities that the Final Fantasy series embodies. According to the developer, “adventurousness, courage, and determination” are the core concepts that drive each game in the franchise and that Final Fantasy will always continue to evolve.

Recent Final Fantasy games have been prime examples of this break from the turn-based origins of the franchise, as Final Fantasy 15, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Final Fantasy 16 have all adopted more action-focused approaches over the years that have had fans debating what it means to be a Final Fantasy game in the modern age.

Sakaguchi, who officially left Square Enix in 2003 following the release of Final Fantasy X-2, has also been a big supporter of Final Fantasy 14 and its director, Naoki Yoshida, who helped produce Final Fantasy 16. In 2021, Sakaguchi would release Fantasian, a critically acclaimed turn-based RPG on Apple Arcade that makes use of real-world dioramas to create in-game locations. After expressing an interest in bringing Fantasian to other platforms, it looks like Fantasian may be headed to PC soon.

In other Final Fantasy news, Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail expansion was recently revealed and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will launch in early 2024 on two entire discs.