Renowned as the progenitor of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi departed from Square Enix in 2003 to establish his own venture, Mistwalker, a hiatus spanning over 20 years. However, in a surprising turn of events, Square Enix recently announced the release of Fantasian, a game developed by Mistwalker, for PC and consoles, marking Sakaguchi’s official return to collaborate with Square Enix once more.
In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg, Sakaguchi delved into the intricacies behind his decision to rejoin Square Enix after his departure, revealing that he had deliberately kept a distance to avoid influencing business decisions related to the Final Fantasy series. However, the turning point emerged in 2021 when he was invited to participate in Final Fantasy XIV events, leading him to immerse himself in the game for the first time, eventually becoming engrossed to the point where he confessed that his life currently revolves almost entirely around FF14.
Subsequently, Sakaguchi formed a camaraderie with Naoki Yoshida, the director and producer of FF14, with the two regularly meeting for meals. During one such rendezvous, Sakaguchi expressed his desire to expand the availability of Fantasian, originally exclusive to Apple Arcade, to other platforms, with Mistwalker intending to self-publish. Yoshida proposed the idea of Square Enix handling distribution, a proposition that eventually materialized into the release of Fantasian for PC and consoles, underscoring Sakaguchi’s trust in Yoshida’s capabilities.
Reflecting on his return to Square Enix, Sakaguchi admitted to harboring some apprehensions regarding how company employees would perceive his reintegration. Yet, he was met with a warm reception, as evidenced by an outpouring of tweets from Square Enix staff welcoming his return. Resolved to refrain from involvement in past projects such as Final Fantasy, Sakaguchi emphasized his transition from creator to player, expressing disinterest in remastering Mistwalker’s previous titles like Lost Odyssey or Blue Dragon for contemporary consoles.
Of all the games he envisions reviving, Sakaguchi’s sole focus lies on Terra Battle, a mobile game released in 2014 that has since become unplayable due to server closures. While he is presently engrossed in crafting a new game, the specifics remain shrouded in secrecy, despite the recent trademark application for “Fantasian Dark Edge,” with Sakaguchi neither confirming nor denying its connection to his upcoming project.
TLDR: Hironobu Sakaguchi, the mastermind behind Final Fantasy, reunites with Square Enix for the release of Fantasian, reflecting on his journey from creator to player and teasing the potential revival of Mistwalker’s Terra Battle amidst a veil of mystery surrounding his upcoming project.
Leave a Comment