Toriyama & Kitase Comment on a FFXIII Sequel, Critics, and The Final Fantasy Legacy
With less than a week since Final Fantasy XIII‘s stateside release, Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama (FF13′s producer and director respectively) have stated that if given the chance, they would very much like to expand on their already growing Fabula Nova Crystallis series, but that it “depends on how well the game sells in the West!”
Speaking with a journalist at a French launch event of the game, the two men closest involved with Final Fantasy XIII talked candidly about a possible continuation on their 3 year project, and what they would aspire to do with such an opportunity. Story is what the sequel would focus on, as the framework for the world they’ve created is already in place:
In the past three years we worked both on the world and on the various systems. Creating these systems isn’t very glamourous and can frankly be a bit boring. If we could do a XIII-2, we could direct all our attention to the story and refine what we have already built.
Kitase also commented on the comparison critics have been making between FF13 and free roaming RPG’s, like Dragon Age: Origins:
Yes, Western RPGs are more about freedom. But Final Fantasy is a different sort of game. It is much more akin to watching a movie, where you appreciate the world and are immersed deeply in the story. You get to experience dramatic moments and big events. In that sense, the concept of FFXIII is much more like a first person shooter such as Call of Duty.
The pair were also asked about the possibility of FFXV, and said they didn’t know if there was going to be one. Much like FFXIII-2, Final Fantasy XV “depends a lot on the success of XIII.” The men concluded by talking about the Final Fantasy series as a whole, particularly the soul and spirit that seems to invisibly glue each game together under the “Final Fantasy” name, and how they hoped Final Fantasy XIII helped further the precedent for future FF titles to come:
Also, it is difficult to pinpoint elements that are typical Final Fantasy. They are mostly invisible: part of the DNA of the game, that everyone recognizes as typical Final Fantasy. But if there is a XV, I hope the way we wrote our characters carries over. We strived to create believable people of flesh and blood. They are not robots. And they are not super heroes. I hope this humanity is something we will see again.
Hit the source to check out the full interview over at WriteAboutGames.
But in the meantime, do you think main Final Fantasy games should stay as stand alone titles, or follow FFX’s lead and dive back in for a second take?
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9 Responses to “Toriyama & Kitase Comment on a FFXIII Sequel, Critics, and The Final Fantasy Legacy”
I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Square-Enix should invest in cow farms, because they’re soo good at Milking.
FF13-2 build with the cuted content maybe???
thats was so dumb of them to say that Final Fantasy games aren’t about free roaming where as the whole series is founded upon free roaming. He just said that so he could justify that FF13 is linear
Now why would Square Enix relate their game to Call of duty? Are they finnaly admitting they make a terriable overeacted game that gets extremely overmilked which only gets made so the C.E.O of Square enix can sit in a bath of money and dress himself up as a billionairre playboy?
Nah their saying they make a good game series which is like watching a movie, an extremely long and boring film which has no ending, like the never ending story only if the never ending story lived up to it’s name AND NEVER F**CKING ENDED!
“And they are not super heroes.”
He’s right about that one. Superheroes are far, FAR deeper in characterization than FF characters.
I don’t accept comparing Dragon Age with FF XIII. Dragon age was good but it was full of bad points. I’d rather stick to a linear game with a brilliant story than playing a free roaming game that makes you forget what the story is about. I’m not an FF fan btw, but XIII is a great title.
“I’d rather stick to a linear game with a brilliant story than playing a free roaming game that makes you forget what the story is about”
You’re either bi-polar or retarded, as those are the only ways anyone could possibly forget the main quest in Dragon Age. FF13 is NOT an RPG – not in the classical sense anyway. Dennis Dyack is rolling in his grave.
I haven’t finished FFXIII.I like it so far…but i get the feeling from their interview that in the end there won’t be a proper ending and many questions about the story will be left unaswered so they will carry over the “answers” in the sequel.
FF’s weren’t supossed to be this way.They did it once with X and it was decent,they’re doing it with FFVII (spin offs)and it feels like they are going to far.The point is they should stick with what each FF was all about…each FF had it’s own complete story with no sequels to back it up.I don’t want to see a Xenosaga kind of game all over again in the FF franchise
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