Final Fantasy Brand Manager sets expectations for XVI, X-3, and remakes

With the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XV and World of Final Fantasy now available to the public, there has been a reinvigorated excitement from the fans of the franchise. In the recent Lucca Comics & Games 2016 in Italy, Executive Producer of Square Enix Shinji Hashimoto gave some information on what to expect with the upcoming titles in the series, as well as the fan favorites.

On the topic of the remastered Final Fantasy games, Hashimoto, who is also the Brand Manager for Final Fantasy, states that while Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age has not definite release date as of yet, he hopes to have it released real soon, as it celebrates its 10^th anniversary. Silicon Era notes that regarding the Final Fantasy VII remake, amidst rumors of a possible 2017 release, he states that the company is working hard on it and requests for fans to wait a little longer.

Hashimoto states that the company is satisfied with the returns of Final Fantasy XIII. With three games under its belt, its lead character Lightning has proven to still be a very popular character, even having a Louis Vuitton collaboration.

RPG Valiant adds that Kingdom Hearts also came up in the discussion, promising that Kingdom Hearts III will come after the HD remake, Kingdom Hearts 2.8. He also mentioned that while Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep may seem short, it would actually depend on how the player deals with the game. While not a part of the main Final Fantasy titles, the game shares a lot of things with Square Enix's flagship series. 

The recent remastered version of Final Fantasy X and X-2 was well received by fans, according to Hashimoto. Concerning Final Fantasy X-3, he states that although fans have expectations set due to some plot appearing in an audio drama, the company is facing a wall that is quite difficult to overcome. Tetsuya Nomura, who is the character designer of the series, and co-producing most of them with director Yoshinori Kitase, are currently tied to their other works. As they want these games to come out, he requests fans to hold on as they work on getting these titles out on the shelves.

Setting expectations for Final Fantasy XVI, Hashimoto reiterates the variety that players experience with the main-numbered Final Fantasy games. Using VII, VIII and IX as examples, he mentioned that while VII had a steampunk look, it did not carry on to VIII, which had a more modern feel, and IX, where it went back to its fantasy setting. This points out to the fact that each main title is worked on from scratch, and they do it on purpose to give the series a fresh feel. Same goes with the battle system the games utilize. As XV features a more action-RPG battle system reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts, it may be the same for future titles.

The Final Fantasy series has been the quintessential game for fans of the RPG genre. Starting in 1987, the game got its title as it was Square Enix's (formerly Square) last hope to sell in the market, or go bankrupt. With its success, the company went on to making more games in the series and became part of video game history.