Creating an open world for Final Fantasy 16 would’ve taken 15 years to make, says producer Naoki Yoshida. Yikes!
When speaking to the Japanese outlet Famitsu, the Final Fantasy 16 producer suggested that developing an open world for the RPG would have been too much, furthermore, it wouldn’t have been necessary.
It’s about the gaming experience
“The production, the dialogue timing, the drama, the sound—they all combined to create the greatest gaming experience possible,” said Yoshida.
He continued: “Once a Chocobo or Moogle was included, I thought it was already a Final Fantasy experience. That game experience must be felt in Final Fantasy XVI as well.”
“Additionally, it is necessary to understand the overall outline of the game design by taking into account the strengths of the team itself,” he said. “When thinking about it, I thought, ‘I believe an open world would not fit for what we are planning now.”
FF16 is about a hero that saves the world
Moving the conversation as to whether Final Fantasy 16 needed to be open world, Yoshida added: “I want a story of a hero who saves the world because this is Final Fantasy. I want a summon to go wild and destroy the map, to release this game as soon as possible. I cannot release this game in parts.
“When considering these four main points, I believe it is practically impossible to ask for everything. If we had a development period of about 15 years, we may have had the opportunity of challenging ourselves with an open world [smiles]. After all, it’s almost impossible in terms of time and cost to create a global story within an open world.”
Final Fantasy 16 doesn’t need an open world
The producer concluded: “I thought that the development team would be worried about this. Delivering what we believe is the best story, in an experience that blends together games and movies, does not require an open world.
“For example, if you say, ‘I have a good idea and I can definitely do it!’ I will support you. However, if you are unsure if we should do it, I would tell you that we shouldn’t.”
In my opinion, not every game needs to be open world, even an RPG. However, FF16 looks to have certain open area features. For me personally, some of the best video game stories told come from a linear experience.
Would you like to see FF16 as an open world? Let us know across our social media channels. Final Fantasy 16 will release for PS5 in 2023.
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