2023-06-22 10:09:23
Game of Thrones-like atmosphere, optimized narration, frenetic action… As the game was released on Thursday, Le Figaro spoke with producer Naoki Yoshida about his clear-cut choices to win over a new audience.
Mario, Zelda, Street Fighter… In the video game industry, only a handful of licenses born in the 1980s have been able to cross the ages by reinventing themselves. Final Fantasy is part of. Created 35 years ago by the Japanese company Square Enix, this series of role-playing games divided into 15 video games and a myriad of spin-offs has exceeded 173 million sales worldwide. After seven years of waiting, the new part of this saga, Final Fantasy XVI, releases this Thursday exclusively on the PlayStation 5 console.
For its publisher Square Enix, the stakes are high. Final Fantasy XVI is not only programmed to be one of the most important commercial successes of the year, but it must above all restore the image of a license which is struggling to interest new generations, and give it a new lease of life. Even if it means breaking dogmas and rushing the oldest fans.
This high-risk mission was entrusted to Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of the online game Final Fantasy XIV. This creator is used to this type of challenge. He and his teams saved this MMORPG (massively multiplayer role-playing game, similar to World of Warcraft) originally released in 2010 and completely rebuilt over three years. A decade later, subscription-based online gaming Final Fantasy XIV and its 27 million players is one of Square Enix’s biggest sources of recurring revenue.
Final Fantasy XVI Producer Naoki Yoshida Square Enix
A fading aura
With Final Fantasy XVI, Naoki Yoshida leaves the world of MMORPGs to join that of traditional offline video games, where the player can only rely on his abilities to progress through the story. And in this hotly contested market segment, the aura of Final Fantasy has declined over the past decade.
«Before starting to create Final Fantasy XVI, we commissioned a study on the image of the license with players“, explains Naoki Yoshida to the Figaro. On the positive side, Final Fantasy is associated with “a legendary series, with an excellent storyline, high-end graphics and an epic adventure. But the negative feedback was way more than expected.».
«Lots of players in their twenties have told us that they have never played this series because it does not attract them, he continues. For them, Final Fantasy would be aimed at an audience of teenagers because of its design close to Japanese cartoons, and the pace of the game is considered too slow. And what surprised us is that adults who grew up with this license told us exactly the same thing. They don’t meet there anymore.»
In an attempt to seduce this skeptical public, Naoki Yoshida took several counter-steps. The first is that of the game universe. Exit the futuristic science fiction of the last installments of the series: Final Fantasy XVI returns to the sources of the saga by opting for a European medieval imagination where kings and lords, fortified castles, but also magic and goblins meet. The Lord of the Rings is one of the inspirations cited by the creative team.
A preparatory sketch for the creation of one of the cities of the game Square Enix
Another priority is the screenplay. “Final Fantasy XV disappointed a lot because the story was incomplete (in particular, you had to watch an animated film to understand the beginning of the game, editor’s note) and the storytelling not living up to the reputation of the series. For the XVI, I wanted the entire story to be told in the game and to satisfy the player 120%“, continues the producer.
The Action Game Bet
Difficult controller in hand not to think about the series Game of Thrones, which was dissected by the development team: the tone is serious, the political intrigue, and the deaths are counted by the shovel while the blood flows in floods – the game is not recommended for those under 18, a first for this saga. What to twist the neck to the clichés associated with Japanese role-playing games, where the end of the world is stopped by a gang of teenagers seeming straight out of a manga… “I’m 50 this year and I can no longer identify with these types of stories and characterssmiles Naoki Yoshida. If a short flashback allows us to discover him as a teenager, the hero, Clive, is approaching his thirties at the start of the story.
But Naoki Yoshida’s real kick in the anthill – his biggest risk, too – is in the combat system. Farewell to the traditional turn-based confrontations, where allies and enemies act one after the other. Final Fantasy XVI is a frenetic action game in real time, where you hammer the buttons of your controller to swing your sword, dodge, use magic, counter-attack… The team has also done appeal to specialists in action games, including the Japanese studio Platinum Games (Bayonetta, Nier Automata), to help him in this turn.
The game gives pride of place to action with spectacular clashes. Square-Enix
«I knew this choice would divide the fans, just like our medieval-gothic style. But it’s our vision and we believe in it», souligne Naoki Yoshida. «I communicate a lot with the players and I listen to their opinions. But at the end of the day, I have to decide and make decisions of which I am intimately convinced. If you take into account all the opinions that come from social networks without any critical distance, you end up with a game that wants to satisfy everyone so much that it becomes wobbly. It can’t work.»
Another criticism from social networks and certain American media: the world of Final Fantasy XVIsorely lacking in ethnic diversity. How did the producer experience this controversy? “Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I understand that people can take these questions to heart. But no one has played the game yet! So play it, look at the world we’ve created, its characters, its different cultures, and form your opinion. We are open to constructive feedback, it helps us to progress.» Naoki Yoshida ajoute que «Japanese creation is primarily interested in the personality of the protagonists rather than their physical appearance. Is it good or bad? That’s another debate.»
The main quest spans nearly 40 hours. Square-Enix
“I can’t say that I don’t feel any pressure”
After having multiplied the trailers during the last months, the editor Square Enix put online on June 12 a free access to the first two hours of Final Fantasy XVI. The very positive feedback from players, who shared their enthusiasm on social networks, helped boost the level of pre-orders for the game. But will it keep its promises throughout the adventure? And Naoki Yoshida, expected at the turn, will he live up to his reputation acquired with Final Fantasy XIV? «I can’t say I don’t feel any pressure, but maybe it’s not as big as you think. However, I’m really stressed!“says the producer.
«My job for several weeks has been to talk to the media, build interest and excitement around the game, and make sure we sell so much of it that I can then hand out big bonuses to the production team. You know, it’s an amazing team that really worked really hard on this project.», poursuit Naoki Yoshida.So yes, it happens that we fail despite our efforts. I love Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, but I don’t necessarily like all of their movies… But in truth, my biggest fear is that developers won’t want to work with me in the future“, confesses the producer.
The creation of Final Fantasy XVI has indeed been more difficult than its controlled promotional campaign might suggest, in particular to refine its combat system and offer technical performance to match the visual ambitions of the game. “Before joining Square Enix [en 2004], I always said to myself when I saw the visual prowess of the old Final Fantasy “but it’s crazy, how do they manage to do that?”. I’ve always thought that a Final Fantasy should impressconcludes Naoki Yoshida. The spectacular fights of Final Fantasy XVI between gigantic magical creatures wow audiences? Answer on June 22.
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