The director of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, Naoki Hamaguchi, recognizes that there is challenge with getting younger players interested in the franchise. The Final Fantasy series has been around since the late 80s, and as a result, the audience who plays it tends to skew older than some other franchises. To a younger player who isn’t familiar with Final Fantasy, they may see the large roman numerals in the title and assume they are behind on the story, not realizing that most of these games standalone. Not only that, but there are large gaps between releases, meaning Final Fantasy lacks a certain amount of relevancy for other audiences.
In an interview with Nintenderos, Hamaguchi stated that he is aware of a challenge when it comes to providing fans with the depth they deserve and expanding the franchise to a new group of players.
“We are constantly updating our vision on what kind of experiences we can offer next. As the Final Fantasy 7 remake project nears completion, I want to meet the expectations of fans who desire even more depth in this world and its characters. At the same time, I am very aware of the need to consider how we can expand the potential of the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole for the next generation.”
He continued: “… as the creator of these works, if there is a demand for new and unique experiences that differ from what we have done so far, I am also eager to face those challenges.”
Mat Piscatella, senior director at analyst firm Circana, stated earlier this year that 70% of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth players were over 30 years old. Although Final Fantasy remains very successful in these age groups, some players may begin to age out as time goes on, and it’ll be important for Square Enix to lure in a younger audience.
Final Fantasy 15, 16, and the 7 remake trilogy were worthwhile attempts as the series embraced real-time combat instead of turn-based, something that makes the gameplay more appealing to a newer generation of players. 16 also took a big swing with its M-rating, but didn’t make the commercial splash that Square Enix hoped for.
It remains unclear what’s next for Final Fantasy after the remake trilogy concludes. Final Fantasy 17 is likely being cooked up right now, but it’s hard to say how far away it might be or what it may do to interest players who have never engaged with the series.
Best Mainline Final Fantasy Games
Best Mainline Final Fantasy Games
In March, Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida, known to fans as Yoshi-P, admitted that long development cycles right across the Final Fantasy series make it “harder” for new players or younger generations “to engage with” the franchise.
Reflecting on the issue in a video interview promoting spinoff Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, Yoshida discussed how young people might have struggled to “connect” with the Final Fantasy franchise simply because it takes so long to release mainline entries.
“I’m 53 now, and I’ve been playing since Final Fantasy 1 in real time… But for younger generations — people who grew up naturally accustomed to action-based combat and online competitive play — the recent entries in the series may have been harder to engage with,” Yoshi-P said.
“Part of that is simply because I’m sorry to say… the release intervals for new titles have gotten longer, so some players haven’t really had the chance to connect with the series the way older fans did.”
In 2024, Yoshi-P, who produced Final Fantasy 16, said it might be time for a younger generation to lead the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17, but we haven’t heard anything about a potential sequel as Square Enix focuses on getting Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 out the door.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
