Naoki Yoshida on What's Coming for Final Fantasy Fighting Styles, Lessons in Making Games, and Future Plans
Naoki Yoshida, who works on the Final Fantasy series as a producer, director, and designer, shared his thoughts about where the series is heading in a talk with Anime News Network at Anime Expo 2025. He spoke about important things like if turn-based fighting still works, what he learned from Final Fantasy XVI, and what he wants to do next.
Talk about Turn-Based vs. Action Fighting
They asked Yoshida if hit turn-based games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made him see fighting styles in a new light. Before, he said when game looks get real, turn-based fights feel out of place, which is why Final Fantasy XVI only used action fights.
He still thinks carefully about this. He didn't say no to using turn-based fights again, but made it clear that choosing a fighting style is part of a bigger picture, not a stand-alone choice.
This question of turn-based or action tends to only think about the fight part. It doesn't see what kind of game the makers want to give... based on the look we aim for, or the story we want to tell... all this changes how we build the game's systems, including the fighting, game design, and how it feels to play.
Yoshida also stressed that he wants to keep options open for those who might lead projects like Final Fantasy 17 or 18 in the future.
What He Took Away from Making Final Fantasy XVI
When asked about his lessons from working on the solo game FFXVI after a lot of time on the MMO Final Fantasy XIV, Yoshida talked about how crucial it is to work smart in game making.
There's much to say, but one big thing is, we learned how to make a top-tier video game... I want to use or try out what we learned to quickly make high-quality games and keep the making time short without cutting corners.
His Plans for FFXIV and More
Yoshida shared several things about his upcoming work and long-term plans for Final Fantasy XIV:
- Final Fantasy XIV Roadmap: He and his team have plans for the MMO going up to version 10.0. Right now, the game is at version 7.0 with the Dawntrail expansion.
- New IP Dream: Sometime, he wants to start a new online game from scratch.
- No Thoughts of Stopping: Yoshida, now 52, said he doesn't think about retiring yet.