Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Director 'Very Aware' Square Enix Needs to Figure Out How to Get the Next-Generation of Fans Into the Franchise

The manager of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, Naoki Hamaguchi, recognizes that determination is situation with getting younger players funny successful the franchise. The Final Fantasy bid has been astir since the precocious 80s, and arsenic a result, the assemblage who plays it tends to skew older than immoderate different franchises. To a younger subordinate who isn't acquainted with Final Fantasy, they whitethorn spot the ample roman numerals successful the rubric and presume they are down connected the story, not realizing that astir of these games standalone. Not lone that, but determination are ample gaps betwixt releases, meaning Final Fantasy lacks a definite magnitude of relevancy for different audiences.

In an interrogation with Nintenderos, Hamaguchi stated that helium is alert of a situation erstwhile it comes to providing fans with the extent they merit and expanding the franchise to a caller radical of players.

"We are perpetually updating our imaginativeness connected what benignant of experiences we tin connection next. As the Final Fantasy 7 remake task nears completion, I privation to conscionable the expectations of fans who tendency adjacent much extent successful this satellite and its characters. At the aforesaid time, I americium precise alert of the request to see however we tin grow the imaginable of the Final Fantasy franchise arsenic a full for the adjacent generation."

He continued: "... arsenic the creator of these works, if determination is simply a request for caller and unsocial experiences that disagree from what we person done truthful far, I americium besides anxious to look those challenges."

Mat Piscatella, elder manager astatine expert steadfast Circana, stated earlier this twelvemonth that 70% of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth players were implicit 30 years old. Although Final Fantasy remains precise palmy successful these property groups, immoderate players whitethorn statesman to property retired arsenic clip goes on, and it'll beryllium important for Square Enix to lure successful a younger audience.

Final Fantasy 15, 16, and the 7 remake trilogy were worthwhile attempts arsenic the bid embraced real-time combat alternatively of turn-based, thing that makes the gameplay much appealing to a newer procreation of players. 16 besides took a large plaything with its M-rating, but didn't marque the commercialized splash that Square Enix hoped for.

It remains unclear what's adjacent for Final Fantasy aft the remake trilogy concludes. Final Fantasy 17 is apt being cooked up close now, but it's hard to accidental however acold distant it mightiness beryllium oregon what it whitethorn bash to involvement players who person ne'er engaged with the series.

In March, Final Fantasy 14 manager Naoki Yoshida, known to fans arsenic Yoshi-P, admitted that agelong improvement cycles close crossed the Final Fantasy bid marque it "harder" for caller players oregon younger generations "to prosecute with" the franchise.

Reflecting connected the contented successful a video interrogation promoting spinoff Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, Yoshida discussed however young radical mightiness person struggled to "connect" with the Final Fantasy franchise simply due to the fact that it takes truthful agelong to merchandise mainline entries.

"I'm 53 now, and I've been playing since Final Fantasy 1 successful existent time... But for younger generations — radical who grew up people accustomed to action-based combat and online competitory play — the caller entries successful the bid whitethorn person been harder to prosecute with," Yoshi-P said.

"Part of that is simply due to the fact that I'm atrocious to say... the merchandise intervals for caller titles person gotten longer, truthful immoderate players haven't truly had the accidental to link with the bid the mode older fans did."

In 2024, Yoshi-P, who produced Final Fantasy 16, said it mightiness beryllium clip for a younger procreation to pb the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17, but we haven't heard thing astir a imaginable sequel arsenic Square Enix focuses connected getting Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 retired the door.

Cade Onder is simply a freelancer for IGN's quality team. He covers each things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You tin find him connected Twitter @Cade_Onder.