Wada unsure of Final Fantasy's future

By Oli Welsh Published 20 July, 2010

"Should FF become a new type of game?"

Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada has admitted that Final Fantasy XIII met with a mixed reaction from gamers, and that he's not sure if the long-running RPG series should look to change in the future.

"When it comes to the customers' reaction to the quality of the game, some value it highly and some are not very happy with it," Wada told Gamasutra.

"I think this is a product that was able to meet the expectations for those who know Final Fantasy," he said. "There are all kinds of games around in the market today. Should Final Fantasy become a new type of the game or should Final Fantasy not become a new type of game?

"The customers have different opinions. It's very difficult to determine which way it should go."

Final Fantasy XIII was criticised by many for its slow pacing and linear first half, for adhering too strongly to some Japanese RPG traditions, and for diverging from others. However, Wada pointed out that despite varying review scores, the game was a commercial success.

"Looking at the numbers alone, it is pretty good, because we were able to release the latest Final Fantasy in all three markets of Japan, United States and Europe in a very short period of time, and we were able to reach 5 million units rapidly - and I think this product will grow further."

We suspect that will influence his thinking on what direction Final Fantasy will take more than the complaints of gamers on the internet. Us? We liked it.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (54) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Goodfella #1 2 years ago

    I'm a big FF fan and I was hyped for FFXIII, I played it to completion and it's a game I'd rather forget ever happened. Truly awful experience. At about half way through I just wanted the pain to end but somehow I slogged through another 15 hours to reach the conclusion.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 08:55

  • spiritsnake #2 2 years ago

    ^^^
    im with you on those comments. just bring back the magic of earlier FF games!!!

  • butler` #3 2 years ago

    It just missed the mark really. It was pretty enough, and had depth in some areas (customisation and weapon system), but it just didn't have that special something that all other FFs have had for me.

    I'd take 7, 8, 9 and 10 over it any day (and do, in fact, currently playng through 9 on PS3).

  • TeaFiend #4 2 years ago

    So, a reboot where they introduce new reusable character features to use for a dozen titles?

  • iamian #5 2 years ago

    Should Final Fantasy become a new type of the game or should Final Fantasy not become a new type of game?

    NO! If it becomes a different type of game then it's not Final Fantasy!!

  • Nighthawk_08 #6 2 years ago

    Agree with every1, really hated ffxiii. To be honest I personally hate the real time battle system. I much preferred the classic ATB/ turn based style of ffvii and ffviii. But the worst thing bout the latest version really was how linear it was. Wen I read the reviews I chose to ignore their opinion being a huge ff fan, and bought it anyway. I just found the game too boring and it really was like just walking down one huge corridoor. No more freedom to go were u liked, I couldn't even bring myself to finish it. Please please go back to the core gameplay that made this series great

  • hoster #7 2 years ago

    Outsource future sequels to Bioware.

  • TeaFiend #8 2 years ago

    FF games never really had true freedom. You could go to other towns but the script there would tell you to go to the town for the story. The story was A-B-C-D, you could not do A, then C, then B, then finish up on D.

    13 just refined it and took away the false appearance of open.

  • Cid #9 2 years ago

    They need to stop faffing about with the battle system if you ask me. The series stuck with the same one (ATB) for six instalments (in what most people would consider the golden age of FF, funnily enough), and then all of a sudden it became all about experimenting with new ideas. I can't help but think half of FFXIII's failings were the result of SE sinking too much time and effort into perfecting the combat system and their fancy cinematics.

    Making it a new type of game is the opposite of what they should be doing. They need to take a few steps back and ask themselves what it was about the older games that people loved.

  • OnlyMe #10 2 years ago

    Well, Final Fantasy isn't really Final Fantasy anymore, so why not make it more Final Fantasy first before trying to do something different. The last game that was close to a Final Fantasy game was FFX. They're just straying too much from the formula, and getting back to making this great world with plenty of exploration and make it feel more open, instead of making it a corridor action game. And HD towns. Big ones. If you want a change in gameplay, FFXII was on the right track, but it left all that was good about Final Fantasy out as well - like a spectacularly over the top cliche love story, humour, hummable music. The game simply lacked any form of emotion, left me cold and not really caring about the characters.

    Look at the games from FFIV-X, and you'll see what a good Final Fantasy looks like. While I'm not too fond of every game, at least the formula is very right in each of these.

    So no, don't change Final Fantasy into a new type of game. Change it back to being Final Fantasy.

  • Goodfella #11 2 years ago

    @ Cid

    Couldn't have put it better, a large part of what made the early games great for me was the battle system that they stuck with. Now they just change it every bloody game, why for God's sake?!

    also, very well put OnlyMe.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 09:31

  • NimbusTLD #12 2 years ago

    Continue along XII's path, in a sci-fi world, I say.

  • andywilkie35 #13 2 years ago

    I really enjoyed it, but since I've completed it I've also played through 30 hours of Final Fantasy VIII and about 10 on Final Fantasy IX and its not even half the game in comparison to those two (and previous FFs), I used to love getting to a town and exploring, upgrading my weapons etc but it was just a straight run and fight system.

    Played superbly though, but to me it wasn't what I know and love about Final Fantasy unfortunately.

  • MisterCraig #14 2 years ago

    The number of sales mean nothing other than how many old FF fans hearts' were broken.

    I never made it past 30 hours and I got nothing other than a slightly sicky feeling in my stomache the whole time. The story, the characters, the linearity, the themes and music. Getting ill thinkin bout it.

    I was in Japan for the release of this, and people were going nuts for it over there. I think this is likely to be the new standard of FF games. Corridor RPGs FTW.

  • Goodfella #15 2 years ago

    @ MisterCraig

    Yes the Japanese went nuts over it but I gather bargain baskets were full of traded in copies not long after release.

  • Goodfella #16 2 years ago

    @ Milky

    I don't mind linearity in games at all, in fact often I prefer it but FFXIII went to whole new levels of linearity. With the exception of the open play field (was it around chapter 10?) it really was a game of walking down a tight corridor with literally nothing else to do except fight enemies.

  • coomber #17 2 years ago

    Worst game I have played this gen. After playing Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age and Divinity II, this was just an incredibly dull grind-fest. We all bought it because it's Final Fantasy. A lot of people like me won't be buying any future installments.

  • SilverInfinity #18 2 years ago

    I could list many things to bring back...but for me I loved FF 7, 8 & 9. The towns, the battle system, materia just seemed such a good combination together...I remember I nearly failed my GCSE's as I was playing 7 so much...and still do to this day.

    13 was a bit of disappointment IMO, I'm not saying they should copy the earlier ones just maybe look some of the things that worked and revamp them a little.

    I know I'll probably get flamed for this...but I actually like random encounters when you can't see the enemies on screen.

  • geeza2020 #19 2 years ago

    The game sold well, so Square don't give a shit that it wasnt liked. $$$ is what matters now.

    Haven't played the game myself, despite being a long time fan of the series (completed all of them from 6 to 12), I just hate the sound of the game now. I didnt really like 10 or 12 for one reason; no world map. No world map, no sale.

  • viper_h #20 2 years ago

    I really enjoyed XIII. A far, far better game than XII ever was, in every single way. Yes, it could have been better in many ways, but still an enjoyable experience.

    I'm not sure where all the hate's coming from regarding this game. Most FF games are linear to an extent. I felt XIII had one of the best stories of the whole FF series, and the battle system was top notch.

    At least it wasn't offline World of Warcraft with auto-attack.

  • I\'mListening #21 2 years ago

    Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful game. I could not bring myself to finish it. Whereas before I have never hesitated in buying a FF game it is quite possible I might never buy another.

  • SYS64738 #22 2 years ago

    "I remember I nearly failed my GCSE's as I was playing 7 so much...and still do to this day."

    It's about time you stop playing 7 and finish your GCSE's now. DO IT.

    :)

    I say, remake all the previous games in glorious HD, leave the gameplay as it was, and then let the series die. Enough is enough.

  • funkateer #23 2 years ago

    I think FF should always keep seeking to reinvent itself in some ways, otherwise it's not really FF anymore.
    Bring the best elements of FFXII and FFXIII together and you have a winner.

    I liked the direction FFXII took, although the story and music kind of left me cold.
    In FFXIII I liked the storytelling and it had some of the best pieces of music ever in a videogame, and the combat system was fast and fun, it just didn't have enough adventure elements in it (exploration, towns) and the RPG aspects became a bit 'light'. For me FFXIII was still a fantastic game in its own right though.

  • firefly #24 2 years ago

    I'd be tempted to say they should take it down the Dragon Quest route and have Final Fantasy XV on the DS/3DS. Use it as a chance to dial back on the graphical arms race and rediscover some of the magic of the 16/32 bit titles.

    To be honest the games I've identified with the most were VI and IX, despite of the chibi graphics.

  • Cappy #25 2 years ago

    If they want to make a new type of game can't they just do exactly that without trying to leverage the Final Fantasy brand onto it?

    When you're talking about taking a long running RPG series out of the RPG genre entirely perhaps what you really need to be doing is making new IP again.

  • SilverInfinity #26 2 years ago

    @ SYS64738

    Lol - I did do pretty well in my GCSE's in the end :D

  • TriggerHippie #27 2 years ago

    "Should FF become a new type of game?"

    If you mean something other than overproduced cutscene-heavy drivel about teenage angst then yes, yes please.

    Dial back the melodrama and look at ni no kuni shiroki.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 11:43

  • gallow #28 2 years ago

    I thought I would hate FF13 but I really enjoyed it. But then I though the same about 12 and loved that too. Now I have completed it (well the main story after 57 hours) I am at a loss as to what to play now.

  • darkmorgado #29 2 years ago

    Personally I think they should take a leaf from the Big Book of Western RPGs and make it far more open and non-linear. For me, the big thing that ruined Final Fantasy XIII was just how damn linear it all was. It really was the RPG equivalent of a corridor shooter. What's the point in creating a whole new world for every title if you never give the player the chance to explore it?

  • DoctorFraud #30 2 years ago

    Lost Odyssey is the best Final Fantasy game this gen.

    FF13 was pretty tedious for most of the game.

    FF12 is best forgotten.

  • plastickitty #31 2 years ago

    I blame Leona Lewis

  • TriggerHippie #32 2 years ago

    The thing is I felt XIII was no more linear than previous titles, certainly not narratively. They're generally very linear games with the supposed freedom coming in the form of wandering around progressive open area's killing new coloured variations of monsters to level. Then you head to the next town to buy slightly better gear and talk to old bastards who drip feed you exposition to expand the story that the latest cut-scene didn't make clear.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 12:25

  • SilverInfinity #33 2 years ago

    @DoctorFraud

    Lost Odyssey was awesome wish it had summons tho! Had to travel nearly 40 miles to get my Disc 4 replaced :(

  • darth_paul #34 2 years ago

    was interested in FF13 the day it was announced... but when i finally realized it was a linear game, without any exploration or adventure (which is sad, considering its... an RPG!!!!), I forgot it ever existed.

  • darkphoenix #35 2 years ago

    FFXIII was a worthy Final Fantasy.
    More so than XII or the ridiculous X-2.

    I've been playing FF since VI, and I cannot understand the criticism and negativity around XIII.
    People need to understand each FF as a different game.
    Sure it is different in a lot of ways, but neverthless an amazing journey of self-discovery for a loving set of characters.

    The first part was linear, with all that corridor crossing and endless fighting, but it fit the story ( for those willing to give it a chance ) as the arrive to Gran Pulse did.


    Final Fantasy XIII may be too good for its croud.
    An extreme quality game, good writing in a growingly interesting story, great voice acting, best graphics of this gen ( at least on PS3 ).
    Shame players these days only demand more of the same old.




  • sneetch #36 2 years ago

    The real time battle system put me off the game so I never picked it up. I love RPGs (especially JRPGs) with turn based battle systems I hate the mucking about that they (devs in general) feel they have to do to make things "fresh".

    That said, in general they could spend less time looping the camera about before and after battles in JRPGs.

  • Starbow #37 2 years ago

    Final Kart Fantasy?

  • metallicorphan #38 2 years ago

    they need to bring the fun back to Final Fantasy,the last FF game i really enjoyed was FF9..i am currently playing through FF13 and FF games now feel more like a chore to play

    i am all for bringing the series back to medieval times,none of this future spaceships crap

  • Andreas2402 #39 2 years ago

    Don't lose faith in what you're doing, do what you think is the best and what you would like it to be, listen to fan feedback and you will succeed.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 14:17

  • geeza2020 #40 2 years ago

    metallicorphan +1

    Exactly. Its called Final FANTASY, not Final Sci-fi ffs.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 14:15

  • TeaFiend #41 2 years ago

    Isn't sci-fi a fantasy?

  • Mr.DNA #42 2 years ago

    @TeaFiend: "FF games never really had true freedom. You could go to other towns but the script there would tell you to go to the town for the story. The story was A-B-C-D, you could not do A, then C, then B, then finish up on D.

    13 just refined it and took away the false appearance of open.    "

    The decision by the developers to remove the "false appearance of open" is to the detriment of the game. In classic Final Fantasy games, such as IV and VI, to name my personal favourites, the game's story was, of course, strictly linear, with certain places having to be traveled to one after the other in a specific order for the player to progress.

    Final Fantasy games of old used to give you various reasons not to solely engage with the main storyline, and to instead explore the world and go off the beaten track as you engage in side-quests and discover towns and partake in activities not directly related to the overall narrative. In FFF XIII there is very little of this, as the "illusion" of freedom has been removed to such an extent that you spend the majority of the game with no other choice than to mindlessly push "forward" on your controller as you wade through stunningly pretty yet shallow and empty landscapes.

    I don't think that Final Fantasy should "become a new game"; I think that the developers have perhaps lost sight of what drew people to the genre in the first place. Various Final Fantasy staples have been omitted in XIII, staples which might seem trivial and non-important on paper, but which helped to give the player the all-important feeling (illusion?) that they were adventuring in vast, exotic and mysterious lands. The removal of towns and cities, and hundreds of NPCs to talk to (which, admittedly, mostly amounted to a few lines of non-interactive dialogue, but added much-needed flavour and context), and therefore the feeling that the player was truly moving through a huge world full of variety and lore and intrigue, took away a lot of what used to make JRPGs so essential. There's a whole host of other things that ended up on the scrapheap: The Crystal Prelude (Opening Theme), the victory fanfare, Mini Games, classic FF enemies, the overworld, airships (although these have been missing for a few iterations, now). As a result of all of this "refinement", FF XIII felt very different to what I have come to recognise as "Final Fantasy".

    What I want to see: Something akin to the old SNES structure, but with next-gen graphics and imaginative improvements to the old system. I want that all-important "illusion" of freedom, and I don't want to be running through glorified corridors for 30-odd hours. I recently played FF IV again on the DS, after not having played it for a decade, and it really is a hell of a lot more fun to play than its modern-day counterpart. And that's a sad state of affairs.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 15:41

  • telboy007 #43 2 years ago

    Didn't buy FF 13, didn't finish that last one either which was pretty dire. Man where has the classic FF gameplay gone? I loved FF X, even though that hidden-ish end boss rapes me whenever I get the courage up for another pop.

    However Lost Odyssey and Resonance of Fate are the dogs bollocks, RoF's combat system is just obtuse crazy bonkers though - and some of the weapon customisation with multiple barrels and 5+ sights... genius, absolute genius.

    Edit: Agree about the DS iterations of the early FF games, they were excellent value for money.
    Edited by 2 at 20/07/10 @ 15:44

  • Pwnsweet #44 2 years ago

    Unsure of Final Fantasy's future? That's easy, make a FF7 remake

  • Raziel #45 2 years ago

    Do Final Fantasy fans really want change that badly?
    I don't.

    I found Lost Odyssey to be more Final Fantasy than XIII was.
    Save the new ideas for other games.

  • Acrid #46 2 years ago

    Just make a proper RPG not a dull linear path one designed to be spread across multiple DVD's and we'll be all happy

  • Angolaman #47 2 years ago

    I have played all Final Fantasy games in the series I-XIII, well all except V...but im getting around to that and if im honest I was actually a fan of XIII by the end. I was very sceptical at the beginning and found myself moaning for the first hour, but when I really got into the game I really enjoyed it and would easily rank it within the top 5 in the series (Granted it didn't have much to beat in the shape of XII).
    All this said and done I still wouldn't mind a move back to ways of old, Im not a big fan of the futuristic note of what FF has become. Personally I believe that IV is the best FF, narrowly beating VI through story and charectars alone.
    The last amazing FF for me was X, at the time it blew me away and with IV and VI are the only games I could happily play over and over, a move back to this would surely not go a miss.
    ...and for all those wondering yes I do think VII is good, but by no means the best especially in story, but its still a country mile better than XII

    ..but if were talking just JRPG's here the Persona series for me is right up there, 4 was outstanding.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 17:54

  • Windypops #48 2 years ago

    They might want to try throwing some game in there next time.

  • Andreas2402 #49 2 years ago

    @Mr. DNA

    I'm just playing through IV too at the moment. But tbh I dont think its a shame that IV might be better because it truely is something special but despite having 2010 it doesnt have to mean that all games are better than they were 20 years ago, right?

    It's not like every game relased now is better than games on the SNES, that's my opinion.
    Edited by 1 at 20/07/10 @ 19:13

  • Cloud-Strife #50 2 years ago

    I dunno why people bash ffxiii...it's amazing. I actually cared about all the characters, the battle system was simplistic yet challenging for the most part. The graphics were beautiful. The story was pretty original with some throwback to older titles. I loved it, even if it isn't as good as it's predecessors...it's still miles ahead of 12..

    If you want old school FF you've got the other games. I still play 6,8 and 10 whenever I have time...:)

  • darc #51 2 years ago

    "the mass effect 2 levels are just as linear, the only difference is you can choose the order to play them in"

    This is too much apples to oranges to be relevant (whether you're defending FFXIII or bashing it.) Yes, ME2 was quite linear, but it was essentially a FPS. (Personally, I wasn't real thrilled about that; I'd have preferred something more RPG-leaning a la ME1. But the point is...) A game with a strong action mechanic (e.g. running and gunning) can afford to be more linear than a JRPG can. An RPG with no towns, no exploration, etc. is simply laughable. Running down an uninterrupted corridor for *literally* hours and semi-participating in a combat system which - for *literally* hours - is comprised of repeatedly pressing a single button. Unforgivable. (In fact, unbelievable! Had I not actually played through those hours myself, I would not believe it.) The game was extremely pretty to look at, and for all I know it was brilliant after 20 hours, but for what I saw of it I'd have done better renting a film. (And in a film, the heroes wouldn't have repeatedly referred to themselves as "heroes" out loud. Grr.)

    Sadly for me, I never played a FF prior to XII. In my admittedly limited opinion (having finished neither, and being pretty green to the JRPG scene in general) XII was a decent to mediocre game, and XIII was just god-awful.

    But I will give a big +1 to the Lost Odyssey praise. Why no talk of a sequel???
    Edited by 2 at 20/07/10 @ 22:00

  • Phishfood #52 2 years ago

    I could not bring myself to finish FF13 because I was just so bored. The changes they made weren't enough to make it fresh and exciting. The story itself didn't draw me in and gave me no motivation to play.

  • orangpelupa #53 2 years ago

    i only played FF XIII on friend's ps3 for short time. The music, the FMV, is good. but the battle system is make me feel like i only watch a movie / auto battle.

    i think Future FF need to get back to the basic FF but more refined.
    Like in Lost Odyssey, it is just like old ff with turn based battle. but the Timed-ring-system make turn based battle become active and getting a lot my attention.

    sorry my english :p

  • mushroomyakuza #54 2 years ago

    Final Fantasy hasn't been Final Fantay for years - so is an irrelevant question. It's already different!