How Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's past, present and future can be found in Fantasian

Jan 21, 2025

Hironobu Sakaguchi discusses Fantasian, its inspirations, and future AI in gaming.

How Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's past, present and future can be found in Fantasian

: Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, discusses Fantasian Neo Dimension, a game that combines old and modern RPG elements. It was originally released in 2021 on Apple Arcade before being republished by Square Enix last year. Sakaguchi elaborates on the game's challenging aspects, design inspirations from Final Fantasy 6, and the use of real diorama models. Additionally, he speculates on AI's potential in optimizing game development processes.

Hironobu Sakaguchi, the renowned creator of the Final Fantasy series, reflects on Fantasian Neo Dimension, a game that circles back to his RPG roots. Released on Apple Arcade in 2021 and re-released by Square Enix later, Fantasian merges classic role-playing game elements with new sensibilities, creating a nostalgic yet modern experience aimed at longtime fans.

Sakaguchi delves into the game's difficulty, resulting from a programming-centric design approach. Borrowing elements from Final Fantasy 6, the game employs a distinctive visual style using real diorama models, adding an artisanal quality to its aesthetics, and represents an 'honest expression' of Sakaguchi's creative vision.

Beyond Fantasian, Sakaguchi discusses the evolving RPG landscape in 2025 with advancements like NVIDIA's 5090 graphics card and the potential role of AI in streamlining development. While he emphasizes human creativity's essence in gaming, Sakaguchi is committed to creating new worlds and experiences, working secretly on a new project with composer Nobuo Uematsu.