Points that reveal Hiroyuki Ito (FFVI, FFIX, FFXII Director) is working on FFXVI (Ver 2.0)

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1Truth2Lies

Sphere Hunter
Jul 3, 2014
224
129
London
#1
I said I've left this forum due to becoming tired of the FFXV fanboys that have overrun the place. That's still true, as I'm only briefly returning to post this thread. I'm also aware a lot of shit has happened since I left with innocent people being accused of being my alts, just because they bring up Ito possibly making FFXVI. Accusations like that are nothing new to me because they happened often when I frequented GameFAQs. All I can do is apologise to the individuals that were treated unfairly because they were seen my alts. Anyway, as I've said, I'm only here on a drive by drop off with this thread. It contains my latest update on Ito directing FFXVI speculation.

If you have no interest in this update or my views in general, please exit the thread now rather than replying with irrelevant BS and derailing it. Thank you in advance.


Moving on.

As with Ver 1.0 of this thread, my target audience is the FF fan who is unenthusiastic about FFXV and hoping that Hiroyuki Ito (FFVI, FFIX, FFXII Director) will direct FFXVI for release this gen (PS4/Xbox One/PC). This thread aims to show that, rather than ito directing FFXVI being blind hope fueled by wishing thinking, there's actually corroborated evidence out there that supports the belief and makes it not at all far fetched. That being said, please bare in mind this is not 100% confirmation that Hiroyuki Ito is secretly making FFXVI. We'll only know that for sure when Square Enix officially come out and announce the game.

For those who don't know Hiroyuki Ito and his past contributions to the FF series, the FF Wiki has a great article on him: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Hiroyuki_Ito

With all that said, the corroborated points of evidence are provided below in chronological order. I've added various new points throughout the article, so even if you have read Ver 1.0, it's still worth reading the whole thing again to find the new new points scattered throughout the article.

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October 2010

1. Hiroshi Minagawa (FFXII Director, FFXIV ARR UI Director) was interviewed by Eurogamer.net about Tactics Ogre PSP. He said that he chose to make the PSP game, as he'd just finished making FFXII, so wanted to make something smaller scale. For his next project, he'd like to direct another AAA game for home consoles. Considering he directed FFXII with Hiroyuki Ito, his next AAA game would likely have them again co-directing.

Source:
So can we expect Square Enix to embark on similar projects in the future? "If I have a chance, I'd like to remake Vagrant Story and other games," says Minagawa.

"But when I chose to remake Tactics Ogre it was after FFXII, which was a big project. I wanted to do something on a much smaller scale, and a smaller team, which is why I chose to do this. Probably after this, I'll do something bigger, like an original game. After that, I'll probably change my mind and return to something smaller."

Final Fantasy XV next, then? "I'm not saying anything," laughs Minagawa. Oh well.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-01-18-tactics-ogre-let-us-cling-together-hands-on?page=2

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November 2011

2. Yoshinori Kitase (FFX, FFXIII Producer) said we may get FFXV and FFXVI in the near future. This was said before FFXIII-2 was even released, meaning before LR FFXIII had started development. Therefore, FFXVI was already being made by another team before Kitase/Toriyama had even finished the Lightning Saga.

Source:
"If we look at the entire history of the franchise - now we have 14, and maybe 15 and 16 in the near future - there have been Final Fantasy titles that have been extremely popular and some that people liked less.

"But the beauty of the franchise is that we establish a new universe and new concepts every time with the numbered titles. Even if any particular game turns out to be a flop, the next one we can start afresh, we can reset and move on. It's going to be okay."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-16-final-fantasy-13-2-preview

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February 2012

3. Hironobu Sakaguchi (Creator of FF) told me face-to-face while he was in London at BAFTA to promote The Last Story, he believes Hiroyuki Ito can make FF a leading and respected RPG series again.

Source: This information was said to me in person.

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March 2012

4. Shinichi Tatsuke (Producer within Square Enix Business Division 9), said that Hiroyuki Ito only provided the original concept for the iOS/Android game Guardian Cross, meaning Ito was not a member of the actual development team. If Ito wasn't part of the development team, what game has he been working on hands-on for all these years? After all, his last hands-on project was released back in 2007.

Source:
プロデューサー・田付氏からのメッセージ
ソー シャルゲームのシンプルなところにファミコンゲームの面影を感じ、『ファイナルファンタジー』をファミコンから制作してきた伊藤が、ソーシャルの原案 を考えたらおもしろいのではないかと思ったのが制作のきっかけでした。最初は別のゲームのバトルを依頼したのですが、一週間後に「残念ながらバトルはでき なかったけど、新しい企画が1本できちゃった」と言われ、「それで十分です!」ということに(笑)。新しい遊びをたくさん入れているので、ソーシャルゲー ムに飽きてきたという方にぜひプレイしてほしいです。
http://app.famitsu.com/20120329_47667/

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July 2012

5. Yoichi Wada (President of Square Enix) never debunked the rumor that Hiroyuki Ito was secretly directing FFXV and it would evolve off FFXII and have an Open World that would surpass Skyrim in both world scale and volume of content. Even though the rumor blew up on 2ch and various Japanese gaming blogs, Wada never debunked it. However, two days later, he used Twitter to publicly debunk the rumor that FF VersusXIII had been cancelled, which was a rumor that had shown up on 2ch earlier that same day; he debunked the rumor within a few hours of it appearing online. Why didn't he also debunk the rumor about Ito? There must have been some truth to it.

Source: Two sources.

1) The 2ch thread with the rumor of Ito directing FFXV (Thread posted on July 21 and active until July 30):
http://anago.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ghard/1342860369/

2) Wada's tweet debunking the rumor that VersusXIII had been cancelled (Tweeted on July 23):
https://twitter.com/statuses/227628674780909568

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August 2012

6. Naoki Yoshida (FFXIV Producer/Director) said that Hiroyuki Ito was not working on FFXIV: A Realm Reborn. However, he wouldn't disclose what game Ito was working on. The fact that disclosing information about what Ito is under NDA must indicate he is working on a very important game for the company.

Source: https://twitter.com/statuses/238359219076734977

7. Naoki Yoshida said that FFXIV ARR is the starting point of regaining people's trust in the FF franchise. He added it will make people excited to see what will be in store for them in FFXV and FFXVI. The fact he actually said "FFXV or FFXVI" must mean that both FFXV and FFXVI are currently in development and will release not that far apart from each other.

Source:
"Losing your fans' trust is very easy thing to do. Regaining it is very hard," Yoshida said. "We believe Final Fantasy 14 is a starting point, and that players joining us will think 'oh wow, this is great, I'll see what they can do with Final Fantasy 15 or 16'.

"Over a long time we'll try and regain their trust, but it is something we as a company must put effort into, long-term."

"That doesn't mean we're not going to try to get people's trust back with this one game," he added.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...tasy-will-take-a-long-time-ff14-producer-says

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September 2012

8. In a Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary interview by Gamereactor, Yoshinori Kitase said that there's a chance that another mainline FF will return to the Medieval style of FFIX and FFXIV ARR.

Source:
Will we ever see the return of true fantasy, black mages, castles, old airships and so on in a main Final Fantasy game?

Yoshinori Kitase: The atmosphere and world for each new FF title is built up along the themes that the creators want to push when the first plans are made. As seen with FF9 and what we are currently doing on FF14, there is always a chance of going with the classic, traditional fantasy style.
http://www.gamereactor.eu/articles/46791/Final Fantasy: Anniversary Interview/

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October 2012

9. Hiroyuki Ito said that current-gen hardware (PS3/Xbox 360) was too weak to handle his gameplay ideas. The reason was due to him being held back by insufficient RAM and CPU power. However, he added that hardware was getting closer to where he can do exactly what he wants to do. Considering that Square Enix already had PS4 and Xbox One development kits at the time of this interview, but both console weren't yet publicly announced by Sony and Microsoft, Ito was likely alluding to forthcoming next-gen console hardware.

Source:
"First of all, I feel like the "optimal" ATB has yet to come. I think it's the advance of hardware, and stuff like memory within that... I always had to be concerned about things like that initially, when I started doing this kind of thing. It's getting closer and closer to the optimum level where I can do exactly what I want to. It's getting there, but we're not actually there yet."
http://www.1up.com/features/final-fantasy-hiroyuki-ito-science

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February 2013

10. Naoki Yoshida said that back in December 2010, when he became Producer/Director of FFXV 1.0, many other staff were brought in from other projects. He mentioned Hiroshi Minagawa (FFXII, Tactics Ogre PSP Director) as an example of somebody who was brought over to FFXIV ARR and multitasking it with another big project. That being the case, Minagawa was not working on LR FFXIII or FFXV before he joined FFXIV ARR, so what other big project is he multitasking with FFXIV ARR? Bare in mind that Minagawa directed FFXII alongside Hiroyuki Ito. Also, if you revisit point 1 in this thread, you'll see Minagawa was already planning to direct a AAA game before he joined FFXIV ARR.

Source: Skip to 4:37 on the timer.


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May 2013

11. I asked Toshiyuki Itahana (FFIX, FFCC, FF Mobius Character Designer) via Twitter if Hiroyuki Ito will direct another mainline FF, as FFIX and FFXII are my favorites in the series. He replied saying that he also respects Ito as an amazing game creator, and that I should please look forward to Ito's next game. Basically, Itahana was indirectly saying that Ito's got another mainline FF in the pipeline and I should look forward to when it's announced.

Source: https://twitter.com/itabee/status/331777078380883969

12. Nobuo Uematsu (Composer of FF series) told me face-to-face while he was in London for the Final Symphony concert by the London Symphony Orchestra, he can guarantee that Hiroyuki Ito will direct another FF game. When I probed further and asked if Ito will direct either FFXV or FFXVI, he laughed and replied that his answer would get him in trouble with Square Enix.

Source: This information was said to me in person.
 
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1Truth2Lies

Sphere Hunter
Jul 3, 2014
224
129
London
#2
June 2013

13. FFXV was announced at E3 2013. Seeing as the game was originally announced as FF VersusXIII at E3 2006, which was 7 years ago, the game that was originally supposed to be FFXV must have been renamed FFXVI and pushed back in order to be given more development time.

14. Shinji Hashimoto (FF Brand Director) said during a Q&A after Square Enix's E3 2013 press conference, FFXV being an Action RPG will not alter the direction of the FF series. FFXV is a standalone title, with a real-time battle system being ideal for what it wants to achieve. He added that the next mainline Final Fantasy (FFXVI) could return to using something similar to the Active Time Battle (ATB) system.

Source: Skip to 10:16 on the timer.

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/qiqmcn/final-fantasy-xv-e3-2013--q---a-part-1

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July 2013

15. Shinji Hashimoto said that Hiroyuki ito has been planning and proposing ideas for a new project. He added that Ito is putting a lot of depth into the gameplay systems and mechanics. As a result, development of this project would take some time.

Source:
"You're a very unique journalist, asking about Ito-san! Yeah. He's still at Square Enix. He's been planning and doing some proposals for a new project at the moment, so... Really, he's the kind of guy that wants to challenge new things all the time, so, yeah. At the moment, he's doing... [laughs] He's putting some ideas together."

"Like you say, he's very talented and very involved. He's very, very in-depth... he likes the depth of the gameplay systems side of things. He really loves to go really deep on mechanics and things, and that takes time. I'm very excited to see his ideas soon!"
http://www.rpgsite.net/interview/31...-with-final-fantasy-producer-shinji-hashimoto

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September 2013

16. Shinji Hashimoto told me face-to-face while he was in London for the European launch of KH I.5 HD ReMIX, the reason Hiroyuki Ito hasn't worked on any current-gen (PS3/Xbox 360) FF games is because he's been busy planning his own project. When I asked when his project will be announced, he replied saying that Ito's adding a lot of depth to the gameplay systems and mechanics. As a result, the announcement of this project will take some time.

Source: This information was said to me in person.

17. I asked Yasumi Matsuno (FFT, Vagrant Story Director) via Twitter if he would write the scenario for FFXVI as a freelancer if Hiroyuki Ito was the director. He replied saying he unfortunately had "certain reservations" about answering the question. In other words, the answer to the question was in NDA territory.

Source: https://twitter.com/YasumiMatsuno/status/374329899332292608

18. Around 2 weeks after Yasumi Matsuno responded to my tweet, he announced at TGS 2013 that he was working on two new games with Playdek. In an interview at the show by USGamer, he said that he will not be directing either of the games. The reason he gave is because he's also got other projects going for other companies, some of which have assigned a large amount of work for him to do.

Source:
"This time, I’m not the director myself. I’m more of a story writer. The direction is handled by Joel and his company. So I’m the original writer of the story here. I’m working on more than one project at this time, so I can’t really be the full-time director of this project. I’ll be involved, but in much less of a capacity than with some other projects. I’ll ask Joel to make a decision and he’ll give me his feedback."
http://www.usgamer.net/articles/tgs-yasumi-matsunos-new-world

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November 2013

19. The website for Agni's Philosophy was updated with an employment page that listed various vacant positions on the Luminous Studio team. It also included a page with comments by the current Luminous Studio staff. These comments included hints that another FF besides FFXV is already in production using the engine.

Source: http://www.agnisphilosophy.com/en/career/getech/staff.html

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December 2013

20. Akihiko Yoshida (FFT, FFXII, FFXIV ARR Character Designer) announced via a message in the Bravely Default Art Book, he had left Square Enix. However, he also said he believes his work with company will continue in the future. Considering he was the character designer for Hiroyuki Ito's FFXII, there's a high chance he will also be the character designer for Hiroyuki Ito's FFXVI.

Source:
"This is a personal message of mine, but I would like to say thank you for all the support these past 18 years. I have decided to leave Square Enix, but I believe our relationship will continue going on.

And for as you will put up with me [laughs], I will continue working on the Bravely Default series. Thank you for your continued support."

Bravely Default

Main Character Design & Lead Artist
Akihiko Yoshida
http://s23.postimg.org/bgr464nln/Akihiko_Yoshida_Leaves.jpg

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February 2014


21. Naoki Yoshida said that he's sure there will be a FFXV and FFXVI, and therefore he will constantly try to bring in fresh, new material for FFXIV ARR. The fact he said he's "sure there will be" a FFXV, even though the game had already been officially announced almost a year ago, makes it appear like he was indirectly stating that FFXVI is also already in development.

Source:
"I'm sure there will be a Final Fantasy 15 and 16, but we will constantly try to bring in fresh, new material for Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn."
http://www.polygon.com/2014/2/13/54...ystation-4-launch-is-just-the-start-for-naoki

22. At the LR FFXIII Creators Event in Singapore, Shinji Hashimoto was asked it ATB would return to mainline FF or if he's views the Action RPG approach of FFXV as the future for the mainline series. He replied saying it depends on the director, and that the director of a new mainline FF is expected to always look ahead, always look towards the future to try and find what the right direction for FF should be, and to utilise the right battle system for that vision. Therefore, FFXVI being directed by Ito would likely have a battle system that's an evolution of the Active Dimension Battle (ADB) system he created in FFXII.

Source:
"As for how each new instalment is changed from previous games, that really depends on what the director of the new title thinks will make it a great game that surpasses the previous title.

With regards to the battle system, as the director heads into the planning stages for a new Final Fantasy title, depending on what he feels will be great, he may sometimes end up deciding to go with a turn-based ATB system, or a real-time one.

Whichever the case, what the director is expected to do is to always look ahead, always look towards the future to try and find what the right direction for the next Final Fantasy game should be, and to utilise the right battle system for that vision.
http://sgcafe.com/2014/02/interview-square-enixs-shinji-hashimoto-talks-final-fantasy-xx-2-hd-remaster-ff-titles/


23. Yoshinori Kitase said that the technical specs of PS4/Xbox One will allow battles in FFXVI to have many more participants involved; there will be more characters for the player to control and more enemies to defeat in a single battle. He added that the Gambit system, which Hiroyuki Ito created for FFXII, may return and be used to help the player control all the party members available. Considering that only Ito wants to evolve the Gambit system in another FF game, Kitase is basically indicating that Ito will be involved in FFXVI.

Source:
"We are quite aware of [PS4 & Xbox One's] capabilities and certainly one thing that's going to come up is having battles with a lot more participants involved. Having a lot more characters, a lot more things happening, that's one of the things that the new hardware does really well, so to maybe make a battle system for a Final Fantasy game or a future game that fits with that, I think it would be quite good to have more characters for the player to control and more participants in the battle."

"In a way there is stuff from the past that we've done in previous Final Fantasies that may come in handy, that we may adapt or reuse or recreate,"

"In the first two of the XIII series you had the Paradigm Shift system with AI controlled teammates which lends itself very well to having lots of characters. Or maybe having even deeper customisation, something that harks back to say the Gambit System in Final Fantasy XII. All those kind of ideas, it doesn't necessarily [mean] that something that we've used before is now invalid and can't be used, there's certainly a possibility of taking it and bringing it back. But I think it's going to be those kind of changes that the technology allows that we're going to have to maybe think and adapt for."
http://www.videogamer.com/ps4/final...evelopment_given_high_priority_by_square.html

24. I met Yoshinori Kitase while he was in London for the European launch of LR FFXIII on February 13th, and I managed to ask him a question about Hiroyuki Ito. Kitase told me the reason Hiroyuki Ito has not worked on the Lightning Saga, FFXIV ARR, and the forthcoming FFXV, is because he has his own development team at Square Enix and is busy leading his own project.

Source: This information was said to me in person. Here was the brief Q&A (typed from memory):

Q: I noticed Hiroyuki Ito, who has worked on the FF series for many years, had no involvement in the FFXIII trilogy, FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, and the forthcoming FFXV. Will he ever return to the FF series, possibly even direct FFXVI?

Kitase: (Laughs) Sorry, but I can't answer that question directly. However, I can tell you that the reason Ito-san never worked on the FFXIII trilogy, FFXIV, and the forthcoming FFXV is because he has his own development team at Square Enix. I personally would have liked him to have contributed ideas to the battle system of LR FFXIII, but he was simply too busy with his own projects.
The person that translated my Q&A with Kitase is standing to right of Kitase in this photo from the event.

25. In an interview with Eurogamer, when Yoshinori Kitase was asked about a potential FFXII HD Remaster, he confirmed the FFXII team, which is headed by Hiroyuki Ito, is still intact within Square Enix. Seeing as this team hasn't released a AAA game since FFXII IZJS in 2007, they must be secretly developing FFXVI.

Source:
Meanwhile, as Final Fantasy 10 and 10-2 are getting the HD remake treatment, some have wondered whether Final Fantasy 12 is next in-line for a fresh coat of paint. "I haven't heard there is a plan," Kitase said of the potential project. "It depends on the team who created 12. If they think it's a good idea they might opt for it."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-17-a-chat-about-that-final-fantasy-7-remake

26. Yoshinori Kitase stated that FFXVI will not be for Smartphones or Tablets. The reason is because Square Enix always expects mainline FF games to be very high-end, top quality products, as it's the flagship global IP of the company.

Source:
How far can that reactive, market-led process lead Square Enix? We know the company is evolving to keep up with the growing free-to-play and mobile markets, so is something like a free-to-play Final Fantasy 16, or a mobile Final Fantasy 16 a possibility?

"Well, obviously anything's possible," Kitase said, before quickly distinguishing the idea. "I think with the Final Fantasy numbered titles, we always expect them to be very high-end, top quality set of art and graphics, high definition. After all, Final Fantasy is a flagship IP of Square Enix. So for the main Final Fantasy games, that's less likely."
http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/17/square-enix-producer-kitase-on-lightning-returns-reviews-hd-rem/
 
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1Truth2Lies

Sphere Hunter
Jul 3, 2014
224
129
London
#3
27. Hiroyuki Ito did his first public interview since FFXII IZJS released in 2007. The interview was about his thoughts on the PS4 hardware, which was launching in Japan the following day. Ito said that the aspect of the PS4 he's mostly interested in is how it can connect to the PS Vita and provide a second screen for the player. He said the HDTV screen acts like a football stadium and is what everyone in the audience can see, while the PS Vita screen is seen only by the coach and is the means by which he gives orders to his team.

Source:
対 戦相手などに知られたくない情報やメソッドをセカンドスクリーンであるPS Vita側が担えば、ファーストスクリーンとなる大画面をスタジアム化することができる。スタジアム化というのは第三者である観客がいるということ。サッ カーに例えるなら監督やコーチはPS VitaでありPS4はPS Vitaから指令を受け取った選手達とピッチ、そして第三者はそれを観戦するサポーター達となる。実際の競技場ではなく劇場等で開催できるコンパクトさも あるし、これはもうプロスポーツとして成立するのではないだろうか。
http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/807/807374/

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March 2014

28. Naoki Yoshida confirmed that Hiroyuki Ito is also on the Final Fantasy Committee. The info was revealed by PC Gamer in an interview with him about his FFXIV ARR post-mortem at GDC 2014. The fact Ito is part of the FF Committee is proof that he's still a FF director and deeply involved in the series. It also increases the possibility that he's directing FFXVI.

Source:
The FF Committee was created to ensure that the FF series stays on track and each important FF director knows what the others are doing. Personally, it's a tremendous honour for me to be part of it, as I get to discuss with people I greatly admire, such as Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Ito.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/691087-playstation-4/68886126

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May 2014

29. At Thailand Comicon 2014, Shinji Hashimoto said that whether or not we'll see a Medieval FF again is dependant on the director of the game, as each FF director has their own view on "fantasy". Considering that every FF game that Ito has directed has been somewhat Medieval in nature, he's the most likely candidate to direct a Medieval FFXVI.

Source:
Q2 : Has it any chance FF will come back to old-school RPG as FFIX did?

A : It depends on the decision of the director. Each director has his own idea of "fantasy".
FF will be back to old style or not depends on the director of that project.
http://www.mognetcentral.com/threads/q-a-with-shinji-hashimoto-from-thailand-comicon-2014.1886/

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June 2014

30. At E3 2014, Yoichi Wada demonstrated a tech demo showing off an Open World and said it was 17 times the size of Skyrim. The fact Skyrim was mentioned by name and the Open World was said to be 17 times larger than it is very, very interesting. Why is it so interesting? Go back and read point 5 in this list. You'll begin to see why Wada never debunked that rumor about Ito directing a game that surpasses Skyrim in world scale and volume of content. There really may have been some truth to it.

Source:
Square's November demo focused on physics, but its new demo for E3 was all about sheer geographical scale. In a demo that I was repeatedly told was "not representative of a final product," Square showed off a massive forested world that could be explored quickly from a bird's eye view or at a slower pace from the perspective of a cute creature. Square said the full world map was 32 kilometers by 32 kilometers -- 17 times the size of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by the company's estimates.

But what's truly impressive is not just the size; it's that none of the world was being instanced or streamed in by the computer. It was all fully rendered in full detail across the entirety of the giant world. That includes over 600,000 trees, hundreds of packs of creatures, hills, mountains and more.
http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/13/5795778/project-flare-square-enix-e3-skyrim

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September 2014

31. In an interview published by 4Gamer the day after TGS 2014 ended, Hajime Tabata, the new Director of FFXV, said that the most important aspect of FF was to do something challenging. He added that if the game didn't attempt something that was a challenge, it wouldn't be worthy of being a FF game. This is similar to what Shinji Hashimoto said about mainline FF during the FFXV Q&A back at E3 2013. Back then, he said the essence of the mainline FF series was to keep challenging and striving to do something new and groundbreaking.

Basically, this word "challenge" keeps coming up with regards to FF. If you go back to point 14 in this thread where Hashimoto was asked about what Ito is currently working on, Hashimoto responded that Ito is somebody who wants to "challenge new things all the time." Hashimoto specifically used the word "challenge" with regards to Ito's new project. So if the essence of FF is to always challenge and Ito is working on a project where he wants to challenge new things all the time, it's most likely is FFXVI.

Source:
田畑氏:
 それもありますが,「挑戦すること」ですね。「これは挑戦している」と思える部分がなければ,少なくともFFとしては成り立たないと思います。FFシリーズには,何か規格外の部分が必要で,誰でも作れるようなものでは,FFとして出す意味がありません。受け手としてもワクワクしないでしょう。
http://www.4gamer.net/games/260/G026084/20140917119/

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October 2014

32. Akihiko Yoshida announced that he had joined CyDesignation as a company director. It's a freelance art company that has Hideo Minaba (FFVI, FFIX, FFXII Art Director) as president and CEO. Considering that Hideo Minaba's company has been contracted to provide artwork for a number of Square Enix games, including FFXIV ARR and FFXIV Heavensward, it makes it very likely that Yoshida will continue working for Square Enix. If Hiroyuki Ito is directing FFXVI, it's likely both Yoshida and Minaba will be involved on the artistic side of the game, especially considering their history with Ito's past FF titles.

Source:
“It brings me great pride and honor to be working for CyDesignation as a director,” he said. “Although it must admit that it’s not without some trepidation, too. Regardless, I'm still a creator at heart and I look forward to continuing to create inventive, meaningful content with the help of friends I've come to know and a fantastic team made up of some of the industry’s brightest and most surprising and talented developers.”
http://gematsu.com/2014/10/final-fantasy-designer-appointed-cydesignation-company-director

33. In a Gameblog.fr interview with Hajime Tabata at Paris Games Week, he asked if FFXV means there will never be another mainline FF that is turn-based. Tabata replied saying that when he took over FFXV as director, he originally gave it an ATB system, but eventually decided to drop it, as he couldn't think of a way to evolve it in an interesting way. He added that another director will evolve ATB for the next mainline FF. Considering that Hiroyuki Ito created ATB and already evolved it with ADB in FFXII, it makes sense that he would be the one to evolve it again in FFXVI.

Source:
Type-0 est un A-RPG, tout comme le futur Final Fantasy XV. Cela fait maintenant plusieurs années que la série Final Fantasy se tourne vers ce style de jeu. Doit-on tirer un trait sur le bon vieux tour par tour ?

Non, je pense que nous verrons de nouveau dans le futur, des jeux basés sur un gameplay au tour par tour. Il ne s'agit pas de choisir une direction à prendre pour toute la série, aucune grosse décision de ce genre n'a été prise. Il est plutôt question de prendre des décisions pour un jeu à la fois.

Cela nous ramène à ce dont on parlait plus tôt, concernant mon désir personnel de créer des expériences plus réalistes y compris dans le gameplay. Nous avons d'abord imaginé un gameplay basé sur l'ATB, mais je n'avais pas pensé à la manière dont on pouvait le rendre plus moderne et réaliste et ce à quoi ça pouvait ressembler. C'est pourquoi on a finalement décidé de s'éloigner de cela puisque ça ne convenait tout simplement pas. Mais je suis sûr que d'autres créateurs souhaitent travailler sur des titres reprenant l'ATB ou avec des combats basés sur l'interface afin de porter ça dans une nouvelle direction.

Il y a sans aucun doute des gens qui souhaitent faire ça, mais il n'y a en revanche aucune décision qui a été prise concernant des jeux basés sur l'action.
http://www.gameblog.fr/interview_800_rencontre-avec-hajime-tabata-de-type-0-a-final-fantasy-xv/page2

--------------------------------------------------

December 2014

34. I emailed Hideo Minaba and asked if both himself and Akihiko Yoshida would be involved in FFXVI if Hiroyuki Ito was directing. I also mentioned that I loved his art direction for FFIX and FFXII and would love to see his artwork brought to life in Luminous Studio. Minaba replied saying that both FFIX and FFXII are special games for him, but he can't say anything about FFXVI. However, he closed off by saying both himself and Yoshida would love to work with Hiroyuki Ito again.

Reading between the lines, it seems FFXVI is already in development and that's why Minaba can't talk about it. There's a very secure NDA in place. Assuming Ito is directing, I would hope that Minaba and Yoshida are Art Director and Character Designer, respectively. Only time will tell, but Minaba makes it clear they'd both like to work with Ito again, so they may already be on FFXVI, but he can't comment due to NDA.

Source: http://s12.postimg.org/vd1cfpm3x/Hideo_Minaba_Reply.png
 

1Truth2Lies

Sphere Hunter
Jul 3, 2014
224
129
London
#4
January 2015

35. In an interview with Official Xbox Magazine UK, Hajime Tabata said that FFXVI returning to turn-based and using ATB depends on what team makes the game and it has quite a high chance of happening. However, he personally wouldn't want to make a turn-based game. Tabata basically indicates he and his team will not be making FFXVI.

Source:
OXM: Internally, is the idea of FF as a turn-based RPG series over? Are you bored of making those games?

HT: It's not that we're tired of making those games, no. The thing about FF is that it really depends on the teams who are in charge of the individual games. It just so happens that the current team wants to make a more action-packed game. If that was a different game, a new project, with a different vision and they wanted to do it in a more turn-based style, they'd be very welcome to do that - and I'm sure they will.

OXM: Final Fantasy XVI - turn-based again!

HT: I wouldn't personally want to do a turn-based game, but hey, if it's a team other than mine, there's a quite good chance of that happening!

http://s18.postimg.org/7pzx8fhy1/Hajime_Tabata_OXM_Interview.png

36. Akira Iwata (Senior Manager and Lead Artist of Luminous Studio) said FFXV is not the only game currently in development using Luminous Studio. So far, no other game has been publicly announced, which indicates FFXVI must be the other game.

Source:
Luminous Studio is in version 1.4 at the moment. The FFXV demo included with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD will be ver. 1.5 and the plan is for the final production of FFXV to be ver. 2.0, upgrading as needed. Currently, the FFXV development team and the Luminous Studio engine development team are working as one on FFXV. At the current stage, I can’t speak concretely about titles in development using Luminous Studio besides FFXV, but I can firmly say that it isn’t an engine built solely for FFXV.
http://sqex.info/ffxv-luminous-studios-developer-interviews-part-1/

--------------------------------------------------

February 2015

37. During the announcement of Deadman's Cross for the PS Vita, Square Enix clarified that Hiroyuki Ito only did the Battle Draft for the game, and just as with Guardian Cross, wasn't an actual member of the development team.

Furthermore, it has come to my attention that the game is not even developed internally by Square Enix. It is instead outsourced to a company called Now Productions. You can see a job listing advertised by them for the Deadman's Cross team here.

Source:
『デッドマンズ・クルス』は、2014年2月13日にiPhone、iPad、Android端末向けに配信され、現在全世界で470万ダウンロードを記録しているスマートフォンゲームです。デッドマン(ゾンビ)で溢れかえる荒廃した世界を舞台に、プレイヤーは襲い来るゾンビを撃ち倒して捕獲。手に入れたゾンビカードを駆使して、住民から寄せられる様々な依頼に応えたり、他プレイヤーとのバトルが楽しめるオンラインアリーナで頂点を目指します。

『ファイナルファンタジー』シリーズでアクティブタイムバトルを考案した伊藤裕之が原案の戦略性の高いカードバトル、歴史上の人物や職業、動物などあらゆる存在がゾンビとなった妖しくも美麗なカードイラストは、他カードゲームとは一線を画す本作ならではの魅力となります。
http://www.4gamer.net/games/272/G027264/20150218062/

--------------------------------------------------

June 2015

38. Hajime Tabata confirmed that Jun Akiyama (FFXII Event Director) is no longer working on FFXV. That being the case, what is he now working on? Assuming Ito's directing FFXVI, there's a high chance he brought back Akiyama to direct the cutscenes.

Source: http://www.finalfantasy.net/xv/full-recap-final-fantasy-xv-active-time-report-60/

39. Hajime Tabata said the complete story for FFXV will happen one game and there will be no sequels. He said this decision came from Square Enix management when he became the director. Therefore, if FFXV will have no sequels, FFXVI will definitely be released this gen.

Source:
“Quite some time has passed now… After we had switched from Versus to XV, the first decision we made was to make sure that FFXV would have a complete, coherent story in one game. That was an important decision—one made at the company level, too. So I started thinking about how we could get a full, coherent story in a single game. And the crux of that was which elements from Versus we could carry over and which would not fit into the new structure as XV.
http://www.rpgsite.net/news/4323-sq...final-fantasy-versus-xiii-to-final-fantasy-xv

40. Naoki Yoshida said that if he were to direct another game after FFXIV, he love to make it completely in secret and tell no one. Then get it polished up to a playable level and suddenly reveal it to the world. This could be Yoshida hinting at what Hiroyuki Ito is doing with FFXVI. Ito is making the game in complete secrecy and under tight security, and then when the game's development is nearly complete, he'll finally reveal to world what he's been working on all these years.

Source:
“But, in the future, in terms of if there’s another project for me it kind of depends on what Square Enix as a company expects of me and what the players expect of me. There won’t be a case where I decide I really want to do a project so I’ll leave XIV and hand over the reigns – no, that will not happen. It’s more about if the Square Enix company decides they want me on another project or if players greatly demand a game created by me in another genre or franchise. The wheels might turn at that point. But if I were to consider doing a new project, I’d love to do something completely in secret and tell no one. Then get it polished up to a playable level and suddenly reveal it. I’d love to surprise people by doing that.”
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/06/05/meet-the-man-who-redeemed-final-fantasy?page=2

41. Naoki Yoshida said FFXV won't be enough to restore mainline FF to greatness. Instead, the game he believes Square Enix has a lot riding on and will need to be truly groundbreaking is FFXVI. With the director likely being Ito, it makes sense that there would be high hopes and expectations from the game.

Source:
“I think we still have a long way to go. The Final Fantasy that I know was even better,” he says. “Final Fantasy XIV is not a standalone Final Fantasy title; it’s an MMO. Unfortunately some fans will remain on the fence about it because it’s online, so we can’t reach all of them.

“Of course, with XV coming out as a standalone title, that’s very important. But it’s not only XV - we need to be able to do more and bring back that impact that Final Fantasy gave us when we ourselves played it for the first time. That shock – the good kind of shock – and try to bring that back. Maybe we won’t do that before Final Fantasy XVI. Maybe it’ll be even further in the future. But I still feel we need to continue to strive to improve... There’s a long road ahead."
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/06/05/meet-the-man-who-redeemed-final-fantasy?page=2

42. Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced at E3 2015. The game is being developed by the same team that made the FFXIII trilogy. Therefore, there's no way this team will be making FFXVI. The game must be already be in development by another team.

Source: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/06/16/e3-2015-final-fantasy-7-hd-remake-is-finally-happening

43. Tetsuya Nomura said that out of the staff that worked on the original FFVII and are also working on the FFVII Remake, he's the youngest one. This means that Jun Akiyama (FFXII Event Director) is not working on the game, as he's younger than Nomura. Therefore, We now know Akiyama is not working on either FFXV or FFVII Remake. What is he working on? It's likely he's working as the Event Director of FFXVI, especially if Ito's directing.

Source:
野村氏:
 オリジナルのFINAL FANTASY VIIに関わっていて,リメイクに携わるメンバーでは,自分が一番若いんですよ。45歳なんですけど。このままリメイクをしなかったら,北瀬(佳範)さんや野島(一成)さんは,さらに自分より年上なので……(笑)。その前にせっかくできるタイミングが来たのだから,やろうと。
http://www.4gamer.net/games/305/G030589/20150618060/

The End (for now...)
 
Last edited:

llazy77

Warrior of Light
May 27, 2014
1,149
550
29
#12
I thought he created a new account. Isn't Novas_ 1truth, or is that a totally different person?
It is since a while ago he said he was leaving he dosen't want to show up as this account anymore but still had the urge to talk about Final Fantasy on this board so he made some new accounts which were @BrokenHeart and @Nova_Somnus. Now he wanted to give new info about his updated points on FFXVI so he decided to come back just for this. He will still probably post as @Nova_Somnus on other threads
 

Sora96

Warrior of Light
Nov 12, 2014
1,326
239
27
Australia
kh13.com
#16
You present some very good facts and dig up some things well but you do interpret things into Ito directing XVI quite a bit. But I respect your dedication and would enjoy seeing Ito direct and design XVI. Honestly though, I'm more wondering what Toriyama & Kitase are working on.
 

Infest

Blitzball Champion
Sep 8, 2014
540
346
Germany
#20
I have to laugh so hard about this thread now!!!
The next big console Final Fantasy is a Tetsuya Nomura directed Final Fantasy VII Remake! Ahahahahahahaha YEAH! Fucking YES!
 
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