FFXIV – Yoshi-P and Sakaguchi Share Their Secrets at the London Fan Festival 2023

Watch the full interview of Yoshi-P and Sakaguchi, as they share their stories and insights about Final Fantasy XIV and its future at the Fan Festival 2023 in London.

The Fan Festival 2023 in London was a huge success, with thousands of fans gathering to celebrate the world of Final Fantasy XIV. One of the highlights of the event was the special guest appearance of Hironobu Sakaguchi, the founder of the Final Fantasy series, who joined Naoki Yoshida, the producer and director of FFXIV, for a candid and entertaining conversation.

The two creators shared their stories and insights about the development and evolution of the series, as well as their personal experiences as Warriors of Light. They also answered some questions from fans, who were eager to learn more about their favorite game and its future.

The interview took place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, as part of the “Welcome to Naoki’s Room” segment.

Some of the topics that were discussed during the interview were:

Stepping into FFXIV: How Sakaguchi was moved to step on his first mount, among other things. He was happy to get into the game to prepare for his talk with Yoshi-P. Once he started, he was in there for around 12hrs. He really enjoys his adventures in FFXIV.

FC House: Square Developer’s office: He shared his messages in his FC house, that players can visit in game and see the messages. But of course he is hiding the naughty messages, as he said!

Tackling Endgame Content: He shared the image of him and his party winning an Ultimate fight, as he also wanted the Shiny Weapon! People in chat were praising him, saying “The Legend is becoming even more of a Legend”! He had a lot of fun going through this content.

Mr Sakaguchi’s Crafting Endeavors: He said it is interesting to be able to create so many different things, as a creator he really wanted to get his hands on some of the items, and also trade with other players!

Favorite BGM: The music in the game really moved him.

Favorite Story: Mr Sakaguchi’s Favority Story was when he first landed in the Shadowbringer purple forest, going into the Crystarium for the first time. 

After this, the team went over some questions from fans, such as:

Where did you get the idea for the first Final Fantasy game? To which Sakaguchi responded with “I used to create RPG’s on PC back then, and I always thought the Nintendo or Famicon system, or others, were not good for RPGs, and then Dragon Quest came out, and it was such a great idea, so I wanted to create my own RPG for those systems.”

What were the inspirations for unique jobs such as Onion Knight, Red Mage or Beastmaster? To which he had prepared a little design he shared:

Sometimes he would see one of those designs and come up with some original story, such as the Onion Knight, who very much feels like an Onion when you look at it. 

Of the many themes echoed in the series, which is your favorite, and why? To which he responded that the notion of balance, in any aspect, is always something he found interesting. 

Mr Sakaguchi, as the founder of the series, what do you believe makes a game a Final Fantasy game? To which he gave a wonderful answer: “I thought this when playing FF16, and this comes from a perspective of someone creating these games, and it honestly boils down to the challenges you come across, and the adventures you take on to build a new system for a new game. It’s the courage to do so, albeit it is a truly difficult task. 

With each new title, you should carry that sense of adventure and courage to take on new challenges. If you can continue with that mindset and move forward, then the gravity of Final Fantasy will start to work and pull people in, which then results in a Final Fantasy for everyone.

I think Final Fantasy XVI did exactly that and faced those challenges, and the game truly made me feel that this IS Final Fantasy.”

And Many more questions were answered. You can catch up on the full discussion over here:

The interview was full of humor, emotion, wisdom, and passion, as Yoshi-P and Sakaguchi expressed their gratitude and admiration for each other, as well as for the fans who support them. 

It was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience, who were delighted to witness this rare and memorable encounter between two legends of gaming. The interview was also widely praised by online viewers, who commented on how inspiring and entertaining it was to see Yoshi-P and Sakaguchi share their stories and insights.

The interview was one of the many attractions that made the Fan Festival 2023 in London a memorable event for all Final Fantasy XIV fans. It is also a way to thank the fans for their continued support and loyalty, as well as to build up the hype and anticipation for the upcoming expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. So keep an eye out for more information in the future!