Naoki Yoshida, also known as Yoshi-P and the man behind Final Fantasy 14‘s revival, recently spoke with Famitsu and expressed his desire to direct the next major Final Fantasy game. “I feel like I can still push even further,” Yoshida said.
In the interview for Famitsu, translated on March 11 by X user Aitaikimochi, Yoshida said he would like to work on Square’s next project if the opportunity arises. “It’s completely undecided as of now, but if the opportunity arises to work on the next major title, I would like to direct it myself,” Yoshida said. When asked if he would like to lead only that one title, Yoshida commented on his skills as a game designer pushing 50 years of age, and noted he wouldn’t like to trap himself in the “one more title” mindset. “I honestly think that I’m at my peak,” he explained.
“I feel like setting a cap will make things awfully boring… we don’t know what the future holds, so why not challenge ourselves each time?” Yoshida said. The producer holds hope he can still do a lot more and better than ever before in his game dev work, “to the likes I have not ever imagined.”
Yoshida has already made a significant mark on the gaming world, particularly with his messianic work on Final Fantasy 14 which has recovered from a less-than-ideal state and become one of the top MMOs on the market.
He is currently working as a director on the upcoming Dawntrail expansion pack for Final Fantasy 14, which is set to release during the Summer of this year. Where he’s aiming to go after that remains to be seen, though suffice it to say his ambitions are beyond exciting.
