Naoki Yoshida, the mind behind Final Fantasy XIV, spoke in an interview about the reasons for the success of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. He also highlighted some design decisions, such as the short dungeons and the controller navigation. However, Yoshida primarily attributed the surprising success of the game, which was thought to be dead, to its simple accessibility for MMO newcomers.
Naoki Yoshida exemplifies like few other developers the success of his game. After all, saving the Final Fantasy MMORPG seemed almost impossible. Yet Yoshida accomplished the mission impossible. And FF XIV slowly transformed into a hit with fans and critics. The interviewer from usgamer.net concluded that FF XIV also appealed to players who would never usually touch an MMO.
Always keeping MMO newcomers in mind
Yoshida readily agrees with him. Today, most MMORPG developers try to attract players who are currently playing another MMORPG. This is genre-related difficult. Especially since these games create a strong bond and engage players for two, three years or even longer.
With Final Fantasy, they aimed to appeal to a different player base. And because Final Fantasy was a console game series, it needed to be developed for the consoles, but mainly for their players. So it had to be more accessible and simpler than a conventional MMO. Therefore, they paid attention to develop even complex MMO mechanics in a beginner-friendly manner.
When designing dungeons, they kept in mind players who couldn’t free themselves from their everyday routine for hours. Four-player dungeons through the Duty Finder went quickly and easily, allowing players to accomplish something and then continue with their lives.
Players with controllers should not be disadvantaged
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Have you read our review of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn?[/quote_box_right]
When deciding to allow controller navigation, which many console players were accustomed to, the most important thing was that controller players did not feel disadvantaged compared to “mouse and keyboard” players.
After all, keyboards allow every skill to be called up with one click. With controllers, it was always necessary to open a menu, then select a skill… – had it been designed that way, players with controllers would have always been at a disadvantage. When they came up with the cross-hotbar idea, they knew it was the right one. And it has indeed paid off.
A Final Fantasy without Chocobos? Like Disneyland without Mickey Mouse!
When asked about the overall feeling and how much Final Fantasy needs to be in the MMORPG, Yoshida emphasizes that it is, of course, important to have the classic FF elements in the game: “Would it be a Final Fantasy without Chocobos? No, of course not.” That would be like imagining Disneyland without Mickey Mouse.
Of course, they also play with the nostalgia of the fans. Yoshida himself is not free from that. “I played it back on the Super Nintendo and was curious about how it looks in full HD now. Or how the Crystal Tower plays when I go in with 24 friends,” says Yoshida.
The complete interview can be found in English at usgamer.net
