Square Enix has yet to announce Final Fantasy XVII, but according to Final Fantasy XIV’s Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida, fans are eager for the game to be directed by Naoki Hamaguchi, who is currently overseeing the Final Fantasy VII Remake project.
Speaking during the Naoki’s Room panel at Fan Fest Berlin over the weekend, the duo were taking on a series of prepared questions, when Yoshi-P revealed towards the end of the chat that he’s received a number of fan requests for Hamaguchi-san to helm FFXVII. “But there were comments along the lines of ‘I want this guy [Hamaguchi] to make Final Fantasy 17,'” he revealed.
“So I think that’s probably the highest praise you can get,” he commented, going on to say, “you don’t have to respond.” Hamaguchi, seemingly a bit embarrassed, adds, “my response?” before Yoshi-P quickly gestures he doesn’t need to reply and wraps up the chat. Naturally, this has got a lot of attention from fans, with many believing it’s a hint that the FFVII Remake director is working on the next mainline entry in the long-running RPG series, although it could easily just be harmless chatter between two colleagues.
Back in January 2024, Yoshi-P touched briefly on Final Fantasy XVII during a podcast interview with Shuhei Yoshida, where he suggested that the game should be directed by someone new, preferably from the younger generation of developers.
Square Enix hasn’t officially announced development of Final Fantasy XVII yet.
[Source — @aitaikimochi on X via GamesRadar]