Naoki Yoshida, producer of both “Final Fantasy 16” and “Final Fantasy 14”, has shared in an interview that the future installments of the “Final Fantasy” series may not strictly adhere to the franchise’s conventional turn-based combat style. In a conversation with Anime News Network, Yoshida emphasized that the creative direction for the next “Final Fantasy” game will depend on the developer’s vision and preferences.
During the interview, I, as a passionate fan, learned that Yoshida revealed the choice to incorporate real-time action combat in Final Fantasy 16 wasn’t driven by Square Enix’s leadership trying to follow trends. Instead, this decision stemmed from the creative minds working directly on the game itself. Moreover, he emphasized that the gameplay of any title transcends beyond its combat system alone.
In his statement, Yoshida explained that focusing on whether a game is turn-based or action-oriented primarily emphasizes the combat system, neglecting the overall vision the developers have for the game they wish to share with players.
He shared that the latest installments of “Final Fantasy” games are usually designed to reach a higher standard of visual aesthetics. In the interview, he pointed out that they focus on delivering a specific graphical quality and storyline to the players, while the gameplay aspects are typically determined by the developers themselves.
He clarified that it’s uncertain whether the system will transition entirely into a turn-based format, or lean more towards an action-oriented one.
Regarding the upcoming games like Final Fantasy 17 or 18, Yoshida shared that he won’t be in charge this time. Additionally, Square Enix is not setting specific rules or prerequisites regarding the type of combat that will be included in their future releases.
Yoshida expressed that we aim to avoid restricting or confining the creative freedom of our potential game directors, whether they’re working on versions 17 or 18. He emphasized that we don’t wish for their work to be constrained within set boundaries,” said Yoshida.
As a gamer, I’ve got to say that Final Fantasy 15 and 16 were quite the departure from the usual for the mainline series, mainly due to their real-time combat systems. Generally, the Final Fantasy franchise is all about turn-based battles or a tweaked version of it called Active Time Battle (ATB). But these two games took a leap by adopting a more dynamic, real-time battle system instead.
The achievement of Sandfall Interactive’s self-produced turn-based role-playing game, “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33,” has sparked doubts among Square Enix shareholders regarding the future of the “Final Fantasy” series. Upon being questioned about this matter, president Takashi Kiryu acknowledged the enduring appeal of turn-based RPGs and confirmed that Square Enix intends to develop and launch more games in this genre in the future.
At present, in reference to the “Final Fantasy” series, Square Enix is working on the third installment of the “Final Fantasy 7 Remake” trilogy. It’s important to mention that this trilogy incorporates real-time combat, though it retains some aspects of the original Active-Time Battle system.
The classic game, “Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles”, will be available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and the yet-to-be-released Nintendo Switch 2 at the end of September.
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2025-07-11 17:42