At the end of Day 1 of the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2024 in Tokyo, Japan, a joint media interview was held with the title’s producer and director Naoki Yoshida. During the interview, Yoshida talked about what would happen to FFXIV if he were to retire, get fired or even die. He also explained how the development team is able to keep the game fresh without running out of ideas.

The following article summarizes some highlights from the original interview report by Automaton.

When asked about what he has in mind for the future of FFXIV, Yoshida mentioned that, although update 7.0 is still in development, he already has ideas about which way to go for 8.0 and beyond, commenting, “I think I can do up to 9.0 without running dry.” He added that, although he has not shared these ideas with staff yet, he has been subtly “steering the wheel” in the direction of the future developments he has in mind.

As for the future of his career, Yoshida refers to game development as his life’s work, showing no intention of stepping down. On a humorous note, he adds that if he were to get fired from Square Enix, he could still remain involved as a contract worker or ultimately take on the role of a mere player who keeps complaining to the development team. More shockingly, Yoshida also talked about what would happen if he were to die:

“It’s definitely possible that I might die in the next 20 or 30 years. After all, I’m a “live fast, die young” kind of person. However, even if I were to collapse right here and now, my team would be just fine. There may not be another person who can talk about the expansion for two hours in front of a huge audience at the Tokyo Dome like me, but I have no doubt that my team can deliver the same information and same amount of excitement.”

Although he takes pride in doing “three people’s worth of work,” Yoshida explained that other people are increasingly taking on more of his duties. He provided assurance that even if something were to happen to him, the game’s production, design and direction would continue to be carried out by his team without any problems.

Yoshida also touched upon the subject of how he keeps FFXIV fresh without running out of ideas. He mentions that giving a lot of creative discretion to other staff, particularly young and new employees, is a good way to prevent stagnation. Yoshida adds that not thinking of the game as an MMO is “the secret to not running out of ideas.” He explains that considering things in the context of the other FF titles and “taking everything that’s good about console games and placing it into the MMO world” is what helps keep things fresh.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is planned for release in the Summer of 2024.