FF Creator Aims to Craft Spiritual Successor to FF6

Hironobu Sakaguchi, the legendary creator behind the Final Fantasy series, has reignited his passion for game development after initially contemplating retirement. His latest ambition is to craft a new game that serves as a spiritual successor to the beloved Final Fantasy 6. Dive into the details of his upcoming project and the latest developments surrounding it.

The Successor to Final Fantasy 6

Following the success of his recent game, Fantasian Neo Dimension, released in 2021, Sakaguchi has expressed a renewed desire to create a game inspired by Final Fantasy 6. In a candid interview with The Verge, he revealed that Fantasian was initially intended to be his final project before retirement. However, the joy of working with his talented team has inspired him to embark on another journey. "The fantastic team that was assembled to complete this project was so enjoyable to work with that I found it hard to part ways," Sakaguchi shared. This led to the decision to collaborate with the same team on a new project, aiming to "create something old but new at the same time." He describes this upcoming game as "part two of my farewell note."

Development on Sakaguchi's Latest Project

In a 2024 interview with Famitsu, Sakaguchi confirmed his active involvement in a new project. "It's been about a year since I wrote the script, so I'm in a situation where I think I'll be able to get to a good point in about two years," he stated. The filing of a trademark for "FANTASIAN DARK AGE" by Mistwalker in June 2024 has sparked speculation among fans about a potential sequel to Fantasian. Sakaguchi has hinted that this new project will maintain the fantasy RPG style of his previous works, though no official title or detailed information has been released yet.

Reuniting with Square Enix for FANTASIAN Neo Dimension

Mistwalker's collaboration with Square Enix brought FANTASIAN Neo Dimension to a broader audience on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch in December 2024. Originally launched exclusively on Apple Arcade in 2021, Fantasian has been hailed as one of the platform's top games. Reflecting on this partnership, Sakaguchi remarked, "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."

Sakaguchi's journey with Square, now Square Enix, began in 1983. He directed the first Final Fantasy game in 1987 and continued to helm the series through its first five mainline titles, later serving as producer for Final Fantasy 6 to Final Fantasy 11. After leaving Square in 2003 to establish Mistwalker, he developed notable titles such as Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and The Last Story. His most recent endeavor, Fantasian, evolved into FANTASIAN Neo Dimension with Square Enix's collaboration in 2024.

Despite this recent partnership, Sakaguchi remains firm in his stance against revisiting Final Fantasy or his past works, stating that he has "switched to a consumer rather than a creator."