Final Fantasy 16 released to a positive response and record-breaking sales for a PS5 exclusive, but online discourse surrounding the game has been divisive to say the least. Some loved FF16’s new direction while others debate whether it classifies as a “Final Fantasy game.” Producer Naoki Yoshida has now addressed some of the negativity surrounding FF16 online.
Final Fantasy 16 trolls come from a place of malice, says Yoshi-P
In a documentary released in Japan and translated by Twitter user aitaikimochi, Yoshida said that some of the negativity surrounding FF16 comes from a place of malice. Constructive criticism is one thing, but Yoshida doesn’t understand why the game’s development team is being “yelled” at by a bunch of random people.
“There’s a lot of people who just yell at you — people I’ve never seen, met, or talked to before,” said Yoshida. “It’s weird. What did we do to them? Perhaps they just write it from a place of negativity and malice. It’s tiresome.”
It certainly doesn’t help that FF16 got caught in the crosshairs in the never-ending console war, which was further exasperated at launch time due to Microsoft fighting the Federal Trade Commission in court over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Despite Square Enix celebrating FF16’s sales, some folks remain convinced that releasing the game as a PS5 exclusive has spelled doom for the franchise.