Hironobu Sakaguchi wants his next (and maybe last) game to be ‘a successor to Final Fantasy VI’

The release of Fantasian on Apple Arcade in 2021 was meant to be an end to the illustrious career of Hironobu Sakaguchi — but it seems like he can’t stay away.

Fantasian was a return to Sakaguchi’s roots, a throwback roleplaying game from the creator of the Final Fantasy series, which added some innovative gameplay ideas and an incredibly charming world made of handcrafted dioramas. And in December, his Mistwalker studio released a new version dubbed Neo Dimension, which brought the game to more platforms and added new features like voice acting. It was even published by Final Fantasy company Square Enix. While Sakaguchi says he “intended Fantasian to be my final project before I retired,” he now wants to make another game in the same mold, one he hopes can be seen as “a successor to Final Fantasy VI.” The sixth Final Fantasy game is particularly notable as the last to feature pixel art before the series shifted to 3D.

Following the launch of Neo Dimension, I had the chance to ask Sakaguchi a few questions about making Fantasian, the enduring popularity of turn-based RPGs, and what comes next.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

There have obviously been a lot of comparisons to Final Fantasy, and you were inspired in part to make this game because of FFVI. Do the comparisons bother you? Do you ever worry people are missing what makes Fantasian unique?

Not really, since my approach to creating Fantasian was different from my previous works. For this project, I aimed to tap into my inner creativity to earnestly craft an RPG once more, so because of this, drawing comparisons with existing games felt pointless to me. I intended Fantasian to be my final project before I retired, so it was somewhat of a farewell note from me.

With the production and release of Fantasian Neo Dimension — a definitive director’s cut version — I believe that the game has become complete. In the distant future, or maybe after I have already left this world, I imagine this game will find its meaning if someone chooses to look into the legacy of either myself or Final Fantasy.

What was it like working with Square Enix again? That feels like an interesting full-circle moment. 

It’s the place where I started my career, so coming full circle through the game I envisioned to be my final work was definitely a fascinating experience. There are times in life when we encounter coincidental full-circle moments or experience deja vu, but this particular instance felt very significant and comforting.

The big change for this game is the addition of voice acting. What do you think that adds to the experience, and what was it like finding the right casting for these existing characters? Did you already have an idea in your head of how they would sound? 

Since I wasn’t well versed with voice acting in games, I trusted Square Enix’s expertise and the artistic vision of director Takuto Nakamura. As a result, the voice actors — some of whom, for the Japanese version, were cast in consideration of their connection to Final Fantasy XIV — were all wonderful. Establishing how the characters would sound involved extensive collaboration as well as trial and error with the voice actors, which I believe is a testament to the numerous ideas and inspirations contributed by all the staff who took part in the voice recording process.

Both Neo Dimension and the Dragon Quest 3 remake came out around the same time to very positive reception. What do you think it is about this style of RPG that makes them still relevant today? 

Games that employ cutting-edge technology are very appealing. Improved graphics are a given, but I’m anticipating that future games will likely also incorporate AI in innovative ways, and I’m personally very intrigued by these games. However, apart from these advancements, I also believe there is an intrinsic desire associated with gaming experiences to immerse oneself in virtual worlds.

With games that have a similar style to Fantasian Neo Dimension, players can explore the virtual world and gain a sense of fulfillment that they have mastered everything that occurs within it. I think another factor is how these games allow developers to utilize energy created from this extraordinary technology to come up with unique mechanics that enable players’ total immersion in virtual worlds. It goes without saying that realizing both is feasible, and I do think that would represent the best kind of game. 

When I spoke to you ahead of the Apple Arcade launch, you said you only wanted to work on games that brought you “genuine joy.” Now that you’ve wrapped up Fantasian, what does that joy look like for you moving forward? Do you think you want to stick to familiar styles and genres like this or explore new things? 

I was thinking of making Fantasian Neo Dimension my final work, but the fantastic team that was assembled to complete this project was so enjoyable to work with that I found it hard to part ways. Humans are greedy creatures, aren’t we? For that reason, I’m currently working on a new project with the same team that worked on Fantasian Neo Dimension. It’s generally going to follow a similar style to my previous works, and it’ll be something that can be a successor to Final Fantasy VI in a good way — our goal is to create something old but new at the same time. It’ll be part two of my farewell note.