Square Enix Exploring More Creativity for Final Fantasy, Particularly for FFVII Remake Part 3

Some say that the long-awaited remake of one of Square Enix's most popular games, Final Fantasy IX, is still not happening. Many people believed the project was progressing well, but new reports indicate that issues are occurring behind the scenes. This makes me wonder if the game is still being worked on or if it has been put on hold in secret.

The producer and director of Final Fantasy, Naoki Yoshida (also known as Yoshi-P), met with Anime News Network at Anime Expo 2025 in Los Angeles to talk about the future of the famous JRPG series. His comments on everything from how battles work to creative freedom give us a better idea of where Square Enix might be going, even though Final Fantasy XVI and FFVII Remake are still being played and reviewed.

Fans who have been following the series for a long time were the first to ask: Will the Final Fantasy games ever go back to turn-based combat? There was a good reason why Yoshida didn't just say "Yes" or "No". "This question of turn-based vs. action tends to narrow the gameplay down to just the battle system," he said. "That doesn't think about what kind of game the developers want to make". 

He said that combat style isn't just a choice; it has a lot to do with story tone, graphics quality, and game systems. Yoshida also said that the person who is in charge of Final Fantasy XVII and later games will likely make decisions about combat and how the game works. "I might not be on Final Fantasy XVII all the time". We don't want to get in the way of or limit our future producer or director. We don't want to hang them from a rail.

Final Fantasy has always been open to change. The series has been known for a long time to try new things with battle systems and mechanics. Early games (up to X) used traditional turn-based systems. Later games, on the other hand, switched to more hybrid or fully real-time combat. Yoshida said that the team's direction should be based on the creative vision of the game, not just on what's popular at the moment.

Yoshida said in a previous interview that very realistic graphics don't work well with turn-based games. Recently released games like Expedition 33 have shown that classic gameplay and cinematic graphics don't have to be mutually exclusive. Fans are arguing again about this contradiction, and many of them want the show to go back to its roots.

But not everyone wants a complete change of heart. Long-time fans are among those who want Square Enix to move forward instead of looking back. In a video response, one fan said, "I just want them to keep doing cool and new things". "What made the first Final Fantasy games so great was that they were new and different—they were doing things that no one else was". 

The fan said that both Final Fantasy XVI and FFVII Remake had great battle systems, but FFVII Remake had "one of the best battle systems ever". They said that being innovative shouldn't mean throwing out the past, but rather building on it.

The team could avoid the problems that come with constantly reinventing the wheel by building on battle systems that have already been made, like the one used in FFVII Remake. This would still allow for creative growth. "It is good to make changes to things that work well, but Final Fantasy has never been about staying put".

The franchise already has a lot going on, though. Fans are eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the FFVII Remake trilogy, which is still ongoing. At the same time, Square Enix is working on Kingdom Hearts IV, which is attracting the attention of development teams that work on other games at the same time. "After we finish FFVII Remake, we can really think about what the future holds", the fan said.

Turn-based vs. action is a debate that's about more than just games; it's also about who we are. Final Fantasy is one of the few series that has grown and changed over the years without losing its core fans. Final Fantasy XVII could go back to its roots or go even further into action-RPG territory. For Yoshida, the most important thing is that developers are free to follow their own ideas.

"It doesn't bother me if they play by turns." "It doesn't matter to me if they keep making action movies", the fan said. "I want them to have complete freedom to make the best stories and games they can". The series is at yet another crossroads since Yoshida will no longer be directing future mainline movies. If Final Fantasy taught us anything, it's that we shouldn't be afraid of change; we should welcome it.