- Writer, Tom Richardson
- Position, BBC Newsbeat
It is a June Friday night time in Tokyo, and Naoki Yoshida has weekend plans.
Pretty customary, you may suppose. However Yoshida-san, the director of Closing Fantasy 14 (FF14), is aware of that it will in all probability be his final probability to chill out for some time.
When he speaks to BBC Newsbeat it is a week till Dawntrail, the most recent enlargement to the massively multiplayer on-line role-playing recreation (MMORPG), is launched.
Following a “disastrous” launch in 2010, FF14 has gone on to turn out to be essentially the most worthwhile title within the franchise’s historical past, in response to writer Sq. Enix.
The sport’s turned issues round a lot that servers struggled to maintain up with demand when the earlier enlargement, Endwalker, launched in December 2021.
It isn’t the one change since FF14 first got here out. The business, and Japan’s place in it, has additionally shifted during the last decade.
Closing Fantasy is an enormous cultural export for the nation, and Sq. Enix has mentioned it needs to focus extra on the “world market” and its followers worldwide.
There’s proof of this method in Dawntrail, a big second for Yoshida-san and his staff, and one he calls “the place to begin for the subsequent 10 years of Closing Fantasy 14”.
Endwalker introduced a decade-long story arc to a detailed and Dawntrail opens a brand new saga. It additionally provides a graphical overhaul to the sport, together with new character lessons and different options.
It is billed as a “summer time trip”, with the motion happening within the sunny, Latin America-inspired Tural area of FF14’s world.
Yoshida-san says Closing Fantasy video games have beforehand taken inspiration from Europe and East Asia and his staff wished to attempt one thing totally different.
He says Central and South America present a “enormous space” with “loads of historical past” to attract from.
Authetic illustration of different cultures is one thing Sq. Enix has been criticised over up to now, and its latest video games have made efforts to handle this.
Yoshida-san says he is all the time regarded FF14 as a “world recreation”, however agrees that social media’s affect has grown and “it is turn out to be simpler for folks to collect collectively and make their voices heard”.
He admits “there are dangers concerned” in depicting different cultures, however his staff has made it a degree “to be taught concerning the tradition, learn the texts which are out there”.
“The world is numerous,” he says.
“There are individuals who have many alternative units of values, many alternative religions, many alternative senses of relationships.
“And so it is actually essential, I really feel, that we perceive these factors.”
Closing Fantasy video games have all the time blended Japanese sensibilities with Western influences, however some have steered that the sequence has had an id disaster just lately.
Yoshida-san tells Newsbeat Sq. Enix makes “50% to 80%” of its revenue from “abroad followers”, who’re “actually essential to consider once we are creating the sport”.
However he believes there is a stability to be discovered.
“We had been born in Japan, we had been introduced up in Japan. So what we had been introduced up with was components of Japanese tradition,” he says.
“So if we put an excessive amount of of a spotlight ourselves on abroad audiences, we do not have that background and that context.
“If we focus a lot on the abroad audiences, then no matter we make would not achieve success.”
Nonetheless, Yoshida-san says the builders cannot dwell in a bubble.
“I believe figuring out the world is essential for us in our growth transferring ahead,” he says.
There’s just lately been one other vital change for Closing Fantasy.
Sq. Enix produces video games for a lot of platforms however has a historical past of putting up unique offers to ensure some titles solely seem on sure consoles.
Gross sales of two latest PlayStation 5-only video games, Closing Fantasy 16 (FF16) and Closing Fantasy 7: Rebirth, have reportedly dissatisfied in Japan.
Following their launch CEO Takashi Kiryu advised traders the corporate would “aggressively pursue a multiplatform technique” to get its video games on extra machines.
Yoshida-san is accustomed to arguments about exclusivity, having launched the long-awaited Xbox model of FF14 this yr.
It is a signal of a wider shift within the business, the place firms have gotten much less selective about the place their video games seem.
“We wish to have gamers no matter whichever system they’re taking part in on,” Yoshida-san says.
“We would like them to play our recreation and all join and take part after which play collectively in the identical world.”
Yoshida-san says Xbox CEO Phil Spencer “devoted loads of his time” to getting FF14 on to Xbox.
“Due to his onerous work, I am tremendous, super-glad we had been capable of see it to via to fruition,” he says.
“However after all, there are platforms which stay.”
When he is requested which these may be, Yoshida-san would not hesitate.
“After all,” he says. “It goes with out saying that might be Nintendo’s platform.
“I am positive individuals are ready for the reply to that query.”
For now, although, there is a extra urgent challenge on Yoshida-san’s thoughts – giving Dawntrail “the absolute best launch”.
After his weekend relaxation, he anticipates being busy.
“I am positive that it will be sleepless nights, we will be simply eyes targeted on the service standing,” he says.
Endwalker’s tough beginnings might be on participant’s minds, however Yoshida-san says he isn’t one for dwelling an excessive amount of on the previous.
“It is what’s already occurred,” he says. “And that is probably not going to take us ahead.
“Trying in direction of the longer term is our job.”
Regardless of this, Yoshida-san says there may be one factor essential to recollect.
“The gamers who caught with us, [who] put their belief within the Closing Fantasy 14 staff.
“They actually served as a supply of motivation,” he says.
“They actually drove us to get to the place we’re and we might not be right here with out them.
“So preserving them in thoughts, we actually simply wish to do our greatest for the Closing Fantasy 14 group.”
Hearken to Newsbeat dwell at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or pay attention again right here.