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Nomura's comments mean nothing, because he thought Kitase was going to be the director, as he directed the original FFVII. Never once did Nomura say he thought Toriyama was going to be the director. Therefore, it's still possible Toriyama will be involved in the game. You really think that Toriyama will not work on this FFVII Remake? Really? Really? The remake of a game where he was responsible for the entire Midgar section and building up the romance between Cloud and Aerith during disc 1 before Sephiroth killed her? Come on, bro. Use common sense. The man will be involved, even if it's just supervising cutscenes or making tea for Kitase. He'll find a way to be involved. FFVII means too much to him, just as it does to Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima.
Think logically here. How can the man that directed the FFVII PS3 Tech Demo, which loads of people loved and gave birth to the whole craze for a remake to begin with, not be involved in the actual FFVII Remake? It makes so sense. Furthermore, Toriyama already said the game he'd love to make after FFXIII is a FFVII Remake! To add even more to this, the team making the FFVII Remake is Business Division I, which Toriyama is heavily involved with. All evidence points in favor of him being involved.
If he's also making Front Mission or Parasite Eve on the side, we'll have to wait and see, as none of those games have been announced and are just rumors with little to no evidence supporting them. The FFVII Remake is confirmed and actually exists. We know Business Division I is making it, so Toriyama is very likely involved. It would make no sense if he wasn't.
Think logically here. How can the man that directed the FFVII PS3 Tech Demo, which loads of people loved and gave birth to the whole craze for a remake to begin with, not be involved in the actual FFVII Remake? It makes so sense. Furthermore, Toriyama already said the game he'd love to make after FFXIII is a FFVII Remake! To add even more to this, the team making the FFVII Remake is Business Division I, which Toriyama is heavily involved with. All evidence points in favor of him being involved.
If he's also making Front Mission or Parasite Eve on the side, we'll have to wait and see, as none of those games have been announced and are just rumors with little to no evidence supporting them. The FFVII Remake is confirmed and actually exists. We know Business Division I is making it, so Toriyama is very likely involved. It would make no sense if he wasn't.
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Sora96
It doesn't matter who reported it. It's still a rumor until it's confirmed by Square Enix. Furthermore, Siliconera never even provided evidence to support their rumor. Nor did they provide any indication that Toriyama would be involved in the game. There's more evidence to suggest Toriyama would work on FFVII Remake than this new Front Mission. Even then, he could work on both games, but it's very unlikely he'll work on this Front Mission only and not the FFVII Remake.
Where did I say I found out what all those staff are working on? Don't put words in my mouth, bro. That said, here's my speculation on what they could be doing.
Where did I say I found out what all those staff are working on? Don't put words in my mouth, bro. That said, here's my speculation on what they could be doing.
- Yuji Abe already confirmed in Q1 2014 that his next console game will be the same as Kitase, so he's definitely on FFVII Remake. This likely also applies to Nobuyuki Matsuoka, as he's Abe's subordinate and not attached to any announced titles, including Mobius Final Fantasy, which is also by Business Division I.
- Isamu kamikokuryo is likely working on both FFXV and FFVII Remake. The same applies to Yusuke Naora, who was Art Director of the original FFVII and Advent Children.
- Daisuke watanabe is likely assisting Nojima with the script, just as he did with FFX and FFX-2.
- Toshitaka Matsuda is the main artist of BD1, so he'll likely be involved. He has done artwork for every FF game by this division since FFX in 2001.
- Naoki Hamaguchi is Project Leader on Mobius Final Fantasy, so there's a chance he won't be involved, but he may take a small role on the FFVII Remake and multitask it with leading development on Mobius.
- Toshiyuki Itahana is the only person I don't think will be working in the FFVII Remake, but there's still a chance he could be involved.
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Sora96
Found the interview.
You're very lucky that I watch almost every video interview that Kitase. What can I say? I may not like him as much as Matsuno or even Ito, but he's still somebody I respect for directing FFVII and putting a Black character in a major role.
This interview was conducted in February 2014, which is around the time when the FFVII Remake had just started pre-production. I've already set the video at the point just before Yuji Abe gives his reply and says he's on the same team as Kitase's next project. All you need to do is press play.
You're very lucky that I watch almost every video interview that Kitase. What can I say? I may not like him as much as Matsuno or even Ito, but he's still somebody I respect for directing FFVII and putting a Black character in a major role.
This interview was conducted in February 2014, which is around the time when the FFVII Remake had just started pre-production. I've already set the video at the point just before Yuji Abe gives his reply and says he's on the same team as Kitase's next project. All you need to do is press play.
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Sora96
RE FF7 remake: People should go back and scour those E3 leaks more carefully, for there's a tidbit in some of those which indicates the capacity of BD1, in terms of the number of people on a project.
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This thread is now the catch-all for this topic, and until we actually have some real, concrete news this stuff isn't going anywhere else. Let's contain it to one thread, as it was becoming way too frequent down the front page of FF discussion, but it's an interesting topic worth keeping a - singular - thread for.
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This thread is now the catch-all for this topic, and until we actually have some real, concrete news this stuff isn't going anywhere else. Let's contain it to one thread, as it was becoming way too frequent down the front page of FF discussion, but it's an interesting topic worth keeping a - singular - thread for.
Gonna start something fresh here.
It seems like a lot of designers within Square Enix work on multiple projects. As far as I'm aware, Naoki Yoshida is currently only working on one, Final Fantasy XIV.
Is it possible for him to be working on another large-scaled project? Is Final Fantasy XIV in a stable state where he can tackle something like Final Fantasy XVI?
Also, what do people think about the guy? Would people like to see him direct FFXVI?
It seems like a lot of designers within Square Enix work on multiple projects. As far as I'm aware, Naoki Yoshida is currently only working on one, Final Fantasy XIV.
Is it possible for him to be working on another large-scaled project? Is Final Fantasy XIV in a stable state where he can tackle something like Final Fantasy XVI?
Also, what do people think about the guy? Would people like to see him direct FFXVI?
Late to this discussion, but I'm going to contribute anyway considering I'm an expert within the whole "FFXVI speculation" niche.
Naoki Yoshida has already confirmed that as long as FFXIV is in operation, he can't leave it. He views it as his baby and even if he's hands-off during actual development, he will always be routinely consulted about the game. Therefore, he'll always be involved.
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/06/05/meet-the-man-who-redeemed-final-fantasy?page=2
Considering they plan to have FFXIV have a 10 year life-cycle, he's stuck on the game until at least 2020 (if they go off the release of the original FFXIV) or 2023 (release of ARR). Therefore, no. There's no chance Naoki Yoshida will helm FFXVI. It's more likely that he'll helm FFXVIII and it will be another MMO. As it stands, he the only competent MMO director at SQEX, and considering the huge success of ARR, I don't see SQEX management or MMO Final Fantasy fans wanting him taken out of that genre for his next game.
With that cleared up, I'll return the subject of FFXVI to the most likely candidate: Hiroyuki Ito.
It has finally come to my attention (a few weeks ago, actually), that Hiroyuki Ito is in Business Division 5 (BD5). My source in a high ranking employee at Square Enix Japan who confirmed this to me over on Twitter. I won't say who, as I think this info was supposed to be classified, as they have since deleted the tweet. I don't want them getting in trouble for revealing this, so I will not name drop them. Anyway, that info finally put my investigation on Hiroyuki Ito's location to rest. However, more question arose with this info. If Hiroyuki Ito is indeed in BD5, why didn't he work on FFXIV (both ARR and Heavensward)? He's not even credited in the "Special Thanks" section for both. Furthermore, it would appear that many FFXII staff that worked on ARR, didn't work on Heavensward. The FFXII staff headcount on Heavensward was massively reduced from ARR. Ridiculously so. The thing is, some were still credited under "Special Thanks" on Heavensward, meaning they're still within BD5.
People need to remember that both The Last Remnant and Tactics Ogre PSP teams (and therefore the majority of the FFXII team) were merged with the original FFXIV 1.0 team back when the team was restructured to make ARR in November 2010. It would seem that now, with ARR released, that huge, bloated team was massively reduced. Heavensward has only 20-25% of the headcount ARR had. All those staff that have left (many of them FFXII staff) must have moved on to another project. If Hiroyuki Ito's really within BD5, it would seem the staff have been given to him and his project has finally begun to ramp up.
The stars are lining up.
If Hiroyuki Ito is indeed within BD5 and not working on FFXIV in any capacity, there must be another team within BD5 that has him at the helm. Yoshinori Kitase told me back in February 2014 at the LRFFXIII European launch event, Ito has his own team at SQEX Japan and planning his own project. In that same month, he told Eurogamer in an interview that FFXII HD happening depends on if the FFXII team (and therefore Ito) wants to make it. Earlier this month, Arnie Roth let it slip that a FFXII HD is now in the works. It would appear that within BD5, the FFXII team has reformed. This means that both the FFXIV team and FFXII team exist within BD5. I have not idea how big this division is, but considering that BD1 through to BD4 were once unified as the 1st Production Department, the size of BD5 could be really big, especially seeing as it houses the original FFXIV, The Last Remnant, and Tactics Ogre PSP teams.
It's also worth noting that Naoki Yoshida already hinted that after he's done with FFXIV, he'd love to make a game completely in secret and tell nobody about it. Instead, he'd develop it up to a point where it's about to go gold, then suddenly reveal it to the world.
I find this statement interesting, as considering how long Hiroyuki Ito has been MIA, this could be the development philosophy he's following with FFXVI. It's also worth noting that FFIX, which Ito directed, was publicly announced only a few months before it was released. FFIX was announced in January 2000 and then released in July 2000. Ito might be following the same philosophy with FFXVI.
Also, Naoki Yoshida said he doesn't believe FFXV will restore FF to the greatness it once had. He personally doesn't believe FF will achieve this feat until FFXVI or later.
Considering FFXVI could be in development within the same Business Division as his own FF game, he's obviously seen it and knows aspects about it that the public don't. The game could be considerably more grand and ambitious than FFXV, which is why Yoshida has the confidence to make such a strong statement that demeans FFXV, which many people feel is the most ambitious FF game to date. With Hiroyuki Ito at the helm of FFXVI, there's no way it would not be ambitious. The man has already gone on record to say that last-gen (PS3/Xbox 360) couldn't handle his gameplay ideas.
If Hiroyuki Ito gets his way, we'll possibly see FFXVI announced very close to it going gold. That would be a welcome change of promotional strategy, especially after the whole "FFXV releasing 10 years after it was announced" fiasco. The downside? Don't expect FFXVI announced until 2019.
Honestly, the wait for Ito's next FF is tiring. People like @Sora96 may be stressed out over not knowing about Motomu Toriyama's next game, but his last game only released last year. Hiroyuki Ito fans been waiting on this man since 2007. That's the last time he dropped something new or even contributed significantly to a game. If FFXVI is a 2019 release, that's 12 years after FFXII IZJS for another new game with Ito as director. That's the same amount of time James Cameron took between Titanic and Avatar! Why do these two incredible directors take forever in their respective mediums? That's what happens when you're an ambitious creator, I guess. FFXVI better be as groundbreaking as Avatar was when it finally drops. That said, with Hiroyuki Ito at helm, I already know that it will be.
Naoki Yoshida has already confirmed that as long as FFXIV is in operation, he can't leave it. He views it as his baby and even if he's hands-off during actual development, he will always be routinely consulted about the game. Therefore, he'll always be involved.
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/06/05/meet-the-man-who-redeemed-final-fantasy?page=2
Considering they plan to have FFXIV have a 10 year life-cycle, he's stuck on the game until at least 2020 (if they go off the release of the original FFXIV) or 2023 (release of ARR). Therefore, no. There's no chance Naoki Yoshida will helm FFXVI. It's more likely that he'll helm FFXVIII and it will be another MMO. As it stands, he the only competent MMO director at SQEX, and considering the huge success of ARR, I don't see SQEX management or MMO Final Fantasy fans wanting him taken out of that genre for his next game.
With that cleared up, I'll return the subject of FFXVI to the most likely candidate: Hiroyuki Ito.
It has finally come to my attention (a few weeks ago, actually), that Hiroyuki Ito is in Business Division 5 (BD5). My source in a high ranking employee at Square Enix Japan who confirmed this to me over on Twitter. I won't say who, as I think this info was supposed to be classified, as they have since deleted the tweet. I don't want them getting in trouble for revealing this, so I will not name drop them. Anyway, that info finally put my investigation on Hiroyuki Ito's location to rest. However, more question arose with this info. If Hiroyuki Ito is indeed in BD5, why didn't he work on FFXIV (both ARR and Heavensward)? He's not even credited in the "Special Thanks" section for both. Furthermore, it would appear that many FFXII staff that worked on ARR, didn't work on Heavensward. The FFXII staff headcount on Heavensward was massively reduced from ARR. Ridiculously so. The thing is, some were still credited under "Special Thanks" on Heavensward, meaning they're still within BD5.
People need to remember that both The Last Remnant and Tactics Ogre PSP teams (and therefore the majority of the FFXII team) were merged with the original FFXIV 1.0 team back when the team was restructured to make ARR in November 2010. It would seem that now, with ARR released, that huge, bloated team was massively reduced. Heavensward has only 20-25% of the headcount ARR had. All those staff that have left (many of them FFXII staff) must have moved on to another project. If Hiroyuki Ito's really within BD5, it would seem the staff have been given to him and his project has finally begun to ramp up.
The stars are lining up.
If Hiroyuki Ito is indeed within BD5 and not working on FFXIV in any capacity, there must be another team within BD5 that has him at the helm. Yoshinori Kitase told me back in February 2014 at the LRFFXIII European launch event, Ito has his own team at SQEX Japan and planning his own project. In that same month, he told Eurogamer in an interview that FFXII HD happening depends on if the FFXII team (and therefore Ito) wants to make it. Earlier this month, Arnie Roth let it slip that a FFXII HD is now in the works. It would appear that within BD5, the FFXII team has reformed. This means that both the FFXIV team and FFXII team exist within BD5. I have not idea how big this division is, but considering that BD1 through to BD4 were once unified as the 1st Production Department, the size of BD5 could be really big, especially seeing as it houses the original FFXIV, The Last Remnant, and Tactics Ogre PSP teams.
It's also worth noting that Naoki Yoshida already hinted that after he's done with FFXIV, he'd love to make a game completely in secret and tell nobody about it. Instead, he'd develop it up to a point where it's about to go gold, then suddenly reveal it to the world.
I find this statement interesting, as considering how long Hiroyuki Ito has been MIA, this could be the development philosophy he's following with FFXVI. It's also worth noting that FFIX, which Ito directed, was publicly announced only a few months before it was released. FFIX was announced in January 2000 and then released in July 2000. Ito might be following the same philosophy with FFXVI.
Also, Naoki Yoshida said he doesn't believe FFXV will restore FF to the greatness it once had. He personally doesn't believe FF will achieve this feat until FFXVI or later.
Considering FFXVI could be in development within the same Business Division as his own FF game, he's obviously seen it and knows aspects about it that the public don't. The game could be considerably more grand and ambitious than FFXV, which is why Yoshida has the confidence to make such a strong statement that demeans FFXV, which many people feel is the most ambitious FF game to date. With Hiroyuki Ito at the helm of FFXVI, there's no way it would not be ambitious. The man has already gone on record to say that last-gen (PS3/Xbox 360) couldn't handle his gameplay ideas.
If Hiroyuki Ito gets his way, we'll possibly see FFXVI announced very close to it going gold. That would be a welcome change of promotional strategy, especially after the whole "FFXV releasing 10 years after it was announced" fiasco. The downside? Don't expect FFXVI announced until 2019.
Honestly, the wait for Ito's next FF is tiring. People like @Sora96 may be stressed out over not knowing about Motomu Toriyama's next game, but his last game only released last year. Hiroyuki Ito fans been waiting on this man since 2007. That's the last time he dropped something new or even contributed significantly to a game. If FFXVI is a 2019 release, that's 12 years after FFXII IZJS for another new game with Ito as director. That's the same amount of time James Cameron took between Titanic and Avatar! Why do these two incredible directors take forever in their respective mediums? That's what happens when you're an ambitious creator, I guess. FFXVI better be as groundbreaking as Avatar was when it finally drops. That said, with Hiroyuki Ito at helm, I already know that it will be.
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Koozek and Sora96
I'm 80% sure both Motomu Toriyama and Yuji Abe are on FFVII Remake. Not sure about the rest, but seeing as they also worked on the FFXIII trilogy in major roles, I think they're also on the remake. You could be waiting for and stressing over nothing, bro. The game Toriyama was referring to could already have been announced at E3 2015. LOL!
It's the not the same for people waiting for Hiroyuki ito's next game. To be waiting since 2007 takes a lot of rational patience. I'm honestly starting to think he's the James Cameron of gaming at this point.
It's the not the same for people waiting for Hiroyuki ito's next game. To be waiting since 2007 takes a lot of rational patience. I'm honestly starting to think he's the James Cameron of gaming at this point.
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Sora96
Are you basing that on when Toriyama said to Siliconera in 2010 he wanted to remake VII? And Yuji Abe saying in that February 2014 interview that he was working with Kitase still?
I do agree, Nobuyuki Matsuoka and Shintaro Takai are also likely on VII Remake. But Daisuke Watanabe makes little sense since he had nothing to do with VII and they have Nojima and Kitase already on board.
Haha, I'm sure Ito won't make XVI-2, XVI-3, XVI-4 etc. Haha.
I do agree, Nobuyuki Matsuoka and Shintaro Takai are also likely on VII Remake. But Daisuke Watanabe makes little sense since he had nothing to do with VII and they have Nojima and Kitase already on board.
Haha, I'm sure Ito won't make XVI-2, XVI-3, XVI-4 etc. Haha.