Over 35 years in the past Hironobu Sakaguchi and a small group of builders launched the primary Ultimate Fantasy sport, inadvertently beginning a legacy spanning a number of entries and spin-offs that’s nonetheless going robust immediately. He could have bowed out to go his personal manner again in 2003, however he’s nonetheless generally known as the daddy of the Ultimate Fantasy collection. It’s been 20 years since he left Sq. Enix and had something to do with the video games, which is why it’s been such a shock and delight to look at him reminisce and go all in on FFXIV.
Initially, he began enjoying the MMO as a courtesy in preparation for a chat on the collection he was doing with Naoki Yoshida in 2021, however shortly discovered himself completely hooked. And enjoying 12 hours a day.
“It just about is 50% of my day,” Sakaguchi informed us throughout a panel on the latest FFXIV Fan Competition. “If I’m interested by the time I spent not sleeping, I used to be enjoying 80% of the day. Then in the event you took away the time I spent consuming, I feel I’d up it to 100%.”
He first began on the finish of September 2021 and had completed the bottom sport and three expansions value of content material in simply over a month – a powerful feat for even most FFXIV diehards. Whereas enjoying, he’d tweet his adventures, typically revelling within the nostalgic references to earlier video games.
Usually the dev group can be following his progress on Twitter to see simply how far he would go. “Greater than something I’m actually comfortable,” stated Naoki Yoshida – director and producer of FFXIV – throughout a press Q&A at Fanfest. “Contemplating how busy Sakaguchi is, we have been questioning with baited breath to see how far he would go. However, in fact, the idea of XIV is to function a theme park for the franchise. So to have the founding creator of the franchise play it and decide up on every ingredient – it makes us realise that what we have been doing for the previous 10 years actually resonates with us and is an actual motivator for us.”
Whereas the group have been typically nervous about his progress, that they had nothing to fret about. “Oh yeah, man, it’s the alternative – I can’t depart. Ultimate Fantasy XIV has turn into a part of my life!” Sakaguchi revealed on the panel.
He’s turn into so obsessed that he even has his personal in-game trend model known as SakaGUCCI: “As a creator, I actually appreciated getting my arms on crafting so I took my identify as a play on phrases to craft objects with my identify on them handy out.” He’s even stored the sport’s economic system in thoughts, discovering a solution to sort out the problem of potential resellers for his objects. “I didn’t need to disrupt the world of XIV so having them glamour them on the spot or go into content material with them would stop individuals from placing it on marketboards and defend the integrity of the sport. It’s a terrific alternative to make new buddies by doing this so I’m actually having fun with that.”
Throughout Fanfest, each Yoshida and Sakaguchi performed by a number of boss fights in entrance of a crowd of 1000’s whereas each collaborating in a panel and exhibiting off their expertise in-game. Sakaguchi even made time for a spot of griefing by chasing Yoshida right down to hit him with tankbuster strikes and patting the underside of a semi-naked snowman. It’s gotten to the purpose the place he’s now tackling Final content material (the toughest battles within the sport). A lot to Yoshida’s shock, “fact be informed, I had not anticipated that he would secretly sort out Final content material.”
With the pair turning into so shut by Sakaguchi’s love for FFXIV, you’d suppose that them working collectively sooner or later sooner or later can be a certain factor, however Sakaguchi has different concepts. When requested if he’s ever take into account engaged on a situation for the sport, his reply was emphatic: “Completely not! if I labored on this behind the scenes I’d not be capable of simply get pleasure from it as a fan. So no offence, however no.”
“In fact it might be nice to work collectively, and I perceive your reply, however possibly I may ease you in with some seasonal content material?” Yoshida tentatively prompt in response.
“Completely not.” Sakaguchi was stalwart. Sadly, it appears that evidently Sakaguchi loves the sport an excessive amount of to ever take into account engaged on it.
It’s been an utter delight to look at him play over the 2 years and simply get pleasure from it. It appears like such a uncommon factor to have the ability to come again to a factor you as soon as made and have been accountable for, and be capable of get pleasure from your time with it as a participant slightly than a creator.
On the very finish of the FanFestival, Sakaguchi mirrored these sentiments after Yoshida thanked him for creating the collection: “I’ll thanks again for making Ultimate Fantasy even higher transferring ahead.”
Unsurprisingly, it brought about Yoshida to burst into tears. It’s the very best praise he may pay, and if even the Father of Ultimate Fantasy thinks a sport is even higher than his personal then you understand it’s value enjoying.