Hironobu Sakaguchi, the legendary creator of the Final Fantasy series, had once contemplated retirement but now has a renewed passion to develop a new game inspired by Final Fantasy 6. Dive into the details of his ambitious project and get the latest updates on its development.

Final Fantasy Creator To Develop His Final Game Again

The Successor To Final Fantasy 6

After the success of his latest project, Fantasian Neo Dimension, released in 2021, Hironobu Sakaguchi now aims to create a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy 6. In an interview with The Verge, Sakaguchi revealed that he initially intended Fantasian to be his final project before retiring. However, the joy of working with his talented team led him to reconsider. "The fantastic team that was assembled to complete this project was so enjoyable to work with that I found it hard to part ways," he stated. This inspired him to embark on a new journey with the same team, aiming to "create something old but new at the same time." Sakaguchi describes this new endeavor as "part two of my farewell note."

Development On Sakaguchi’s Latest Project

In a 2024 interview with Famitsu, Sakaguchi confirmed that he is actively working on this new project. "It's been about a year since I wrote the script, so I'm in a situation where I think I'll be able to get to a good point in about two years," he explained. Additionally, in June 2024, Mistwalker filed a trademark for "FANTASIAN DARK AGE," sparking speculation among fans about a potential sequel to Fantasian. Sakaguchi has hinted that the new game will continue his tradition of crafting immersive fantasy RPGs, though no official title or detailed information has been released yet.

Reuniting With Square Enix For FANTASIAN Neo Dimension

Mistwalker collaborated with Square Enix to bring FANTASIAN Neo Dimension to a broader audience on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch in December 2024. Originally launched exclusively on Apple Arcade in 2021, Fantasian received widespread acclaim and is often cited as one of the best games on the platform. Reflecting on his reunion with Square Enix, Sakaguchi shared, "It’s the place where I started my career, so coming full circle through the game I envisioned to be my final work was definitely a fascinating experience."

Sakaguchi's journey began at Square in 1983, where he directed the first Final Fantasy game in 1987 and went on to direct the next four mainline titles, later serving as producer for Final Fantasy 6 to Final Fantasy 11. After leaving Square in 2003 to establish Mistwalker, he developed notable titles like Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and The Last Story. His most recent project, Fantasian, released in 2021, was enhanced and re-released as FANTASIAN Neo Dimension in collaboration with Square Enix in 2024.

Despite this recent partnership, Sakaguchi has expressed no interest in revisiting the Final Fantasy series or his previous works, stating that he has "switched to a consumer rather than a creator."