Sakaguchi discusses Final Fantasy IX, X, XI

[02.18.00] » Famitsu magazine sits down to interview Square's Hironobu Sakaguchi, discussing the future of Final Fantasy and the international PlayOnline network.

   Japan's Famitsu Magazine recently ran an interview with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi discussing many of the new projects revealed at Square's groundbreaking Millennium conference. Sakaguchi discusses, among other things, the reasoning behind Final Fantasy IX's return to fantasy-based elements, cross-cultural implementation of the worldwide PlayOnline network, and his addiction to 989 Studios' Everquest -- likely a major influence in Final Fantasy XI's development.

   The interview is reproduced below. (Huge thanks go to Jan Marc Rameken for the fantastic translation.)

Michinobu Hamamura (Famitsu Weekly): PlayOnline has been announced, although to tell the truth, I hadn't thought that the Square Millennium event would take that shape. Since I thought that perhaps there would be announcements of new titles, and within those there might even be an "FF" title, I was quite surprised.

Hironobu Sakaguchi (Square): Even so, the current version of the PlayOnline program was patched together during the beginning of December last year. Until then it was all pretty chaotic. From the planned concept to the current shape, it isn't always clear what will become of each element.

Hamamura: You also can enjoy reading comics or listening to music while playing, right?

Sakaguchi: Yes, but that concept is very simple. At the moment, while in Hawaii, I have been hooked to a PC online game called "Everquest". However, while playing this game, I cannot check my mail. Therefore, even if mail arrives, a long time may pass when I cannot read my mail. Once I finish playing after a long time, and check my mail, if I had received an urgent message, staff tell me on occasions "Why didn't you answer my messages?" which can be troublesome at times. This problem was the trigger for the plan of this concept. Another troublesome thing is waiting time. When trying to sell things through bulletin boards, it can happen that you may have to wait at least 30 minutes before you are in contact with a potential buyer. Therefore I thought I'd like to also have a bulletin board available within the game. Although you could say its to make use of the spare time of network gamers, its more something interesting I wanted to do online while I had spare time.

Hamamura: Rather than a designer, one could say that you make things from the perspective of the players, understanding what they want.

Sakaguchi: Kitase (N.B.: Starting with FFV, V, VI, and VII, Kitase is a Development director and has been involved in various other titles as well) tells me the same. "Isn't this rather what you would like to do as a player?" he says! (laugh) Then I answer, "Ah, caught red-handed!" (laugh) But since this is a concept that I should really create as a developer, I guess it's all right.

Hamamura: Machines to support [PlayOnline] will be the PS2 and the PC, right? Does this then mean that one will also be able to play FFXI on the PC?

Sakaguchi: Yes. Since the graphical data can be converted, the basic parts of the program along with the format of the music which is only slightly different. It's just a matter of converting each element for the PC. Therefore, there shouldn't be a problem to do it, right? The PS2 and PC versions will both be released at the same time, as will the US and Japanese versions.

Hamamura: Also, you were saying that it would also be playable in arcades?

Sakaguchi: Fundamentally, the game's subdata will be located on the server, so you will be able to play it anywhere. For example, you play it at home on your PS2, then when you go to work, you could continue on your PC.

Hamamura: That we will be able to play "FF" anywhere is great!

Sakaguchi: Therefore, if there is "FF" in gamecenters, you will be able to play say, 3 minutes for 100 yen if you drop by on your way home. This also means that you will be able to check your mail from gamecenters.

Hamamura: Just at this time, there is also talk about connecting Sega Gamecenters through optical fiber, right? This kind of plan for a single highspeed network seemed like a dream story to me, but hearing the plans for PlayOnline and that it will be feasible in 2001 the dream seems like it could become a reality, right?

Sakaguchi: Therefore, its true, I say! I'm telling you, believe me, its true! (laugh)

Hamamura: When I heard that through PlayOnline one would be able to read comics and inform oneself about sports, I was quite surprised.

Sakaguchi: Its something often said about comics, 'Can you really read comics from a screen'? I think, however, that if you are playing a network game you would read comics online. If players read it once from the screen, I think that the next time when they aren't playing, they wont feel strange when reading comics online. I think that through this there might be a chance that users start reading comics from the screen for the very first time. If this is the case, I think it's worth doing. Then we also have the sport-related games. We are making a baseball and a racing game. There certainly is a reason for Square to make sports game if you are able to obtain the latest data to implement into the game by being online. However, although the first game "Gekikuukan Pro Yakkyu" doesn't support network features, the following game will naturally fully support the PlayOnline network.

Hamamura: As for other sports, what comes to mind?

Sakaguchi: First it has to be soccer. Then, since [PlayOnline] will also be used in the US, American football and basketball seem good as well.

Hamamura: So, this means you have to make American football, soccer and basketball games?

Sakaguchi: Square doesn't necessarily have to do those games. Other makers can crate the games, and we will provide support for those games through PlayOnline.

Hamamura: When you think that FFIX will be released in July, X in spring next year, and XI in summer, whichever way you look at it, you can't help but think "Can they really pull it off"?

Sakaguchi: "IX" is almost finished, and the scenario for "X" is pretty set. In fact one could say that "X" is quite realized as well. In the Square Millenium event, since I wanted the footage to show how the game could exchange information through the PlayOnline system, we didn't show any footage related to the game's scenario. But then again, that game comes after "IX", after all.

Hamamura: In "FFIX", were you the only director?

Sakaguchi: I'm not the director. Since I am now mostly busy with creating the movie, I wasn't that much involved with "IX". However, I was allowed to be involved in creating the initial scenario, which I used for the base of the game. After that, it is important to grasp the minute details involved, since it's very easy to interfere with the process later on! (laugh)

Hamamura: In "IX", the main character is a black mage... and there also were appearances of crystals. [Note: It's important to note that the black mage seen in the Final Fantasy IX promo video did not appear to be the game's main character -- Mr. Hamamura likely misinterpreted the video.]

Sakaguchi: "IX" will be the last one-digit game of the Final Fantasy series. Therefore, as far as my feelings were concerned, I wanted to go back to the old-style FF. That is why there is a Black mage involved, crystals appear once again after a long time of their absence in the series. The catchphrase inside me was "The revival of the crystals".

Hamamura: The world depicted also no longer has the cyber-futuristic feel of "VII' and "VIII".

Sakaguchi: For the appearance of the world and characters, this is true, but making it felt like creating a miniature garden of sorts. You are immersed a map going along with the story, without skipping or bypassing any places, feeling like something new could happen at any moment. Therefore, the amount of data is pretty large and intricate. I want people to enjoy the locations one by one, without skipping by or omitting anything from the game.

Hamamura: In "X", the game itself will be a standalone game (NB: Standalone meaning not-online based gameplay, all data included in the software package sold) although there will be online support in order to obtain hints from a strategy guide like thing available through connecting to PlayOnline, right?

Sakaguchi: Yes, but when talking about Online help and hints, if too many are given, the game will become boring. Wouldn't it make you mad if the game told you "Hey, you forgot to take the Mithril sword!" (laugh) Therefore we are making it with this in mind. Then there is also the possibility of having new events announced by connecting to PlayOnline.

Hamamura: Oh, will those events also be notified to the player in the game?

Sakaguchi: As for that aspect, I am thinking carefully about what to do. Since we are currently busy enough making "X", sometimes we talk with the staff to implement these Online elements, but I cannot promise concretely weather we will go that far or not. We still haven't decided how much we will implement it in the game.

Hamamura: Can you please tell me what kind of "events" you have in mind?

Sakaguchi: Whether this will be implemented or not, I can't say, but for example, if after defeating a middle boss, you obtain item randomly, you might be able to exchange it through PlayOnline, or even sell it, to other users. With this added element, the game could become more fun.

Hamamura: If that would be the case, not only would the online feature be useful for information, it would also have the added value of entertainment.

Sakaguchi: When you can enter PlayOnline through "X", you will be able to listen to music and check your mail when playing. Since through mail and chat it is possible to exchange information by asking questions along the lines of "How did you get that item?" it might be also possible to exchange the items themselves. It could be that "X" might surprise people.

Hamamura: The plan is for "X" to sell all around the world about 5 million copies... so this would mean that many people from different countries would all connect to PlayOnline.

Sakaguchi: Certainly. People can talk in English, in Japanese, it is a situation where anything can happen, really. But when it comes down to chat, over here people will be chatting in Japanese while in other parts it will be done in English. I'm thinking of a way to apply symbolic communication for "XI". I wont go into minute details, but for example, through use of icons and selections of targets one could sell or buy things. By simply selecting and icon and a target, one could be saying "How much are you selling ___ for?".

Hamamura: Using such communication will certainly have no relation to different countries.

Sakaguchi: For basic actions and expressions I would like to implement such things, but in addition to that, using chat is what will make online gaming so appealing. Of course, each individual server will be differentiated by using English, Japanese or other languages, although toward the end, ideally, I would like everyone to be using English. The way I see it, its certainly much more interesting talking to people from other countries, as their cultural backgrounds and mannerisms are quite different, so I would like people to embrace this feeling of embarking on an entirely new adventure. There are also plans for making the servers support certain features. Depending on the actions of people, small things make the world change slowly.

Hamamura: The world will transform?

Sakaguchi: No, no, this is just an example. (laughs)However, if that would be the case, there might be a "reason" for people to venture into an English specific server. "That place might be an English section, but since there might be cool items there, lets try and go in anyway". These kinds of "reasons" are what I wish to create. Once they are inside and try to chat in English, using abbreviation words and phrases, they might even learn more than expected. For example, "TH" (=Thanks) or "NP" (=No Problem) might be small expressions that might transmit to Japanese players.

Hamamura: True, even sentence articles and pronunciation aren't all that important online.

Sakaguchi: Exactly. Players won't have to worry much about grammar, past tense or anything like, and just communicate. The person on the other end of the line will probably understand its a Japanese person they are talking to, and will make the effort to be understood with ease, so I think chatting and communication wont be much of a problem at all.

Hamamura: People will be able to communicate together all throughout the world.

Sakaguchi: Ah, the day that happens we will have to use English as a common base.

Hamamura: That's really interesting.. you seem to be thinking about many different things.

Sakaguchi: At the moment I'm really busy with the movie, but the gamers blood in me always makes sure to create some time to think about such things. (laughs)

Hamamura: In order to connect to the net, a PC-card like modem for the PS2 will be necessary, right? Where will that kind of modem become available from?

Sakaguchi: It doesn't really matter if we release it, or the people at SCE do. Technically it wont be a problem, its just a matter of connecting the modem to the PS2 and then connecting the modem to the telephone cable. Even connecting a mobile phone shouldn't be a problem, although probably another type of modem will be necessary, but basically you will be able to even connect it to your cable TV or even satellite receiver.

Hamamura: There also is the problem of phonebills when connecting to the net...

Sakaguchi: That's right, there is. In the US, you pay about 30 dollars to have an unlimited connection. In Japan we need to do the same as soon as possible. Is is not only a problem for us at Square to solve, its a problem Japan need to solve for online networking society to proliferate.

Hamamura: On dealing with the people at NTT communications, that problem might be solved soon.

Sakaguchi: Yes, that's a big advance, especially since they carry to power to deliver a toll-free Internet accessing system.

Hamamura: Will people be able to play "XI" without being connected?

Sakaguchi: No, "XI" will be entirely network based.

Hamamura: Thinking about it, if all users who buy "XI" connect, that is quite an admirable number of players online.

Sakaguchi: If everyone connects, worldwide that would make a number of about 7 million people. Of course, if the numbers of people connecting are so high, toll-free connection will become a reality, and the membership fee will become extremely cheap.. so keep the hope up!