Yasunari Ohnishi
Ok guys, do you have any other bet ?
My bet is Ito. Honestly, I understand that it's possible other people can direct the game but in all honesty there isn't any other evidence to support it like there is for Ito. 1Truth has gathered a lot of evidence to support his claim over the years and has been in effect for what
would have been FFXV if Versus didn't turn into it.
There are some things I disagree with of course, but for the most part I agree with the overall consensus. Again, while overall there is nothing conclusive, the point of going against it without complete confirmation is pointless. This is not so much saying Ito undoubtably is directing it, but that all evidence points in that direction.
I look at it this way, there are plenty of options out there but none with any actual substance to support them being a reality. Some unsung talent could emerge and direct FFXVI for all we know, but nothing points in that direction. So, unless you can entertain the idea of another director with some substance, I see no reason to even bother.
As for who you could rule out, Nomura, Tabata, Toriyama and Yoshida can be ruled out immediately. This is not really debatable either outside of Toriyama, however I honestly don't think he would be directing another mainline series this soon. Most of the people in the list are producers which does not exclude them as being a director, however it's unlikely that they would take such a position in most cases. You can rule out Hashimoto immediately. Also, you can immediately rule out anyone who is working on a current title like XIV for example (Akihiko Matsui and Hideyuki Kasuga).
As for the rest of those names, most of them appear to be producers and not directors, and while it's not impossible for them to take a director role, it's very unlikely as the jobs have different levels in how they are involved with the project. Basically, I would rule out people with low credentials like Tomoya Asano, Hiroyuki Miura, Hiroshi Harata and Yasunari Ohnishi.
For the last few names Akitoshi Kawazu is already working on the new SaGa game and is not likely to be working on XVI given that he has been working on SaGa since its inception. Naoki Hamaguchi is the director on Mobius and is not likely to direct XVI. Takashi Tokita has a long history with Square, but seems to still be working on "Final Fantasy Legends: Crystal of Space-Time" as the director. We don't know where Kazuhiko Aoki is and what he's doing, but given he's only directed a few small time titles years ago, it's unlikely he's fit for directing XVI. Ichiro Hazama is listed almost exclusively as a producer and seems to have his share of titles each year he works on, most recent being the Producer of "Dissidia Final Fantasy" which will be coming out on consoles eventually so his time will be dedicated to that project.
The last person is Takashi Katano who was credited to work
heavily on XII and the International version. This is the only person from the list with any connections with XII. However, it seems they are mainly focused on being a programmer than a director, so it is unlikely they would take a position as a director.
Overall, the list of people doesn't have anything that would indicate any of them would be working on XVI. You could debate some of these names, however I don't think anyone would argue for them. Ito on the other hand is someone who is known for directing Final Fantasy titles and there is a lot of evidence him being the director.
I'm definitely not 1Truth here, and I'm not really into wild speculation or giant threads and posts going on about Ito (no offense intended just saying I'm not a huge fan of Ito), but I don't think it's really fair to dismiss the evidence provided simply because it's not inherently conclusive without confirmation. I think it's best that those who aren't convinced by the evidence presented from years of gathering from 1Truth are better off resisting the urges to speak against it and instead do what you suggest and leaving it open for discussion and not trying to disprove something without much counter evidence.
Just as a final message here, I'm not saying there is complete and total proof of Ito directing XVI, as without confirmation from Square Enix it is fruitless. However, I do believe that the possibility is very high to that where it is almost certain. My position is that I will take a default as the leading candidate for the position until
proven otherwise, but unless there is evidence, I see no reason to object against it.
Chances of Toriyama directing XVI are quite good and if you say "his likely working of FF7Remake", look at my first reply.
