Naoki Yoshida

Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida has responded to the player who recently earned all achievements in the game.

Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has discussed what makes a game a Final Fantasy game, noting it's all about the development team taking on new challenges.

Final Fantasy 14 doesn't shy away from crossovers—from Monster Hunter to Yo-kai Watch, and even a surprisingly fun-looking Fall Guys crossover that's set to hit at the end of this month. Director and producer Naoki Yoshida still has one game in mind that would be his dream collaboration: Diablo.

A few months back, one esteemed Final Fantasy 14 player obtained all of the 2,751 then-earnable achievements for the first time ever. That's 10 years for someone to nab every single accomplishment, with one achievement alone time-gated to around seven years of hard work. 

Final Fantasy 14’s 7.0 update won’t hit the MMO for almost another year, arriving alongside the game’s next expansion Dawntrail in the summer of 2024. Director Naoki Yoshida already has some plans for the next two major updates after that, though - but he’d really rather you didn’t ask about them.

Final Fantasy 14 has crossed over with everything from Monster Hunter and Nier to Yokai Watch and Fall Guys. But there’s one video game crossover that remains at the top of director-producer Naoki Yoshida’s list: Diablo.

The director of Final Fantasy XIV has said he’d love to channel the chaos and freedom of nineties MMO godparent Ultima Online into his own game - but it couldn’t be FF14 itself, as the unbridled chaos would ‘break’ its players.

Final Fantasy 14's director and producer Naoki Yoshida remains keen to team up with Blizzard for a collaboration, and this time, he's got Diablo 4 in his sights. 

Today at Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in London, Square Enix revealed the upcoming job releasing with the next expansion, Dawntrail. Today's keynote also showcased more of the upcoming land of Tural, as well as dropped a new extended teaser trailer for the expansion.

Not even three months ago Square Enix Game Director Naoki Yoshida took the stage at the US Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival and revealed the upcoming Dawntrail expansion. Earlier today, Day 1 of the London Fan Festival kicked off and Yoshida returned to reveal more details about the expansion.

Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi originally turned down the roleplaying game’s now-iconic soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu - until the legendary composer simply changed the track order, that is.

He may have departed from Square Enix a time ago, but that hasn't stopped Hironobu Sakaguchi from actively participating in the series that he created and continues to flourish in his absence. The father of Final Fantasy hasbeen playing its 14th instalment for almost two whole years, and he isn't afraid to admit the absolute death grip the critically-acclaimed MMO has on him.

Final Fantasy XIV has revealed the first of two new jobs coming to the MMO in next year’s expansion Dawntrail. The Viper is a fast-paced melee DPS armed with two swords that can transform, Bloodborne-style, into a single two-handed weapon. It’s brand new for the Final Fantasy series, too.

Final Fantasy 14’s crossover with Fall Guys looks as gloriously chaotic as the original mean bean gauntlet - and it’s out very soon. The incoming minigame playable inside the MMO will see 24 Warriors of Light race across Fall Guys courses given a Final Fantasy-themed twist.

The London Final Fantasy Fan Fest has kicked off this morning with an impressive keynote speech that has finally unveiled one of the two jobs expected for the upcoming Dawntrail expansion. A few months ago during the Las Vegas Fan Fest, players around the world were teased a bit of information that there would be two new jobs added with the inclusion of the new expansion. At the time, speculations were all over the place as players came up with various theories — it didn’t help that FFXIV director Naoki Yoshida wore a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt at the time of said announcement which then prompted players to try and line up the letters like some kind of nerdy anagram. From Corsairs to Time Mages, all kinds of speculation arose. Carefully observant Warriors of Light may have noticed a tease of the potential melee job when watching the Dawntrail trailer, but it wasn’t enough detail to solidify good guesses.

Final Fantasy 14 is getting the all-new Viper job in Dawntrail, a Ninja-like class we've never seen in the series prior.

Final Fantasy 14 is going back to where it all began regarding the series' foray into MMO territory for a new raid that's releasing in Dawntrail.

The Final Fantasy 14 team has finally lifted the lid on the much-teased Final Fantasy 16 collaboration, revealing a crossover questline at Fan Fest. 

A Final Fantasy 16 crossover is coming to Square Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy 14.

Here's the next Job coming to Final Fantasy 14: Viper.

Final Fantasy 14's London Fan Festival has just kicked off, and with it Square Enix has finally revealed the first of its two new classes coming to upcoming expansion Dawntrail: melee damage dealer Viper. The job was first teased back in July's Las Vegas Fan Festival, but this is the first time we have a name and a full reveal of the kit.

In Tokyo, a man has been arrested for stalking a woman using social media sites like LINE (a popular app in Japan) and Twitter—as well as the MMORPG Final Fantasy 14. As reported by Kobe News (and translated by Siliconera), the man reportedly sent over 22 messages via those apps trying to re-establish contact, while also threatening to tell her family about their past conversations.

Final Fantasy 14 players have been analysing a pair of legs in a bid to work out the next playable race to be added to the game.

Final Fantasy 14's latest patch features a truly bizarre character model that's been cut in half, and it could be hiding secrets yet to come.

Final Fantasy 14 has been getting updates in preparation for Dawntrail, the game's new expansion that is launching next Summer. During the expansion's announcement, game director Naoki Yoshida revealed that he was wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt, which longtime fans will know is his way of teasing the upcoming introduction of a new job. He's done it several time in the past, such as wearing a Batman shirt as a not so subtle tease for the Dark Knight job.

We’re months away from Final Fantasy XIV’s next major expansion, Dawntrail. Still, players are trying to learn any amount of details they can about the upcoming, competitive treasure hunt where they’ll be facing off with former allies who have been by their side for years. Customary to every Final Fantasy XIV expansion, there are new Jobs for players who grab it, and some players believe they’ve figured out one of the two new ones coming to the game.

After 10 years, one Final Fantasy 14 player has finally earned all 2751 achievements.

Final Fantasy 14 is getting a kappa suit at the behest of series father Hironobu Sakaguchi, and while he's thrilled about the addition to one of the best MMORPGs around, he's still taken to Photoshop to make it just a little bit cuter.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth producer Yoshinori Kitase and creative director Tetsuya Nomura have discussed the term JRPG, and shared contrasting opinions.

Warriors of Light should prepare themselves for new Final Fantasy XIV content arriving next week. In a live Letter from the Producer during the recent Tokyo Game Show, Director Naoki Yoshida has unveiled details for what to expect in Patch 6.5. A brand new trailer offers players a look at upcoming adventures that set the tone for the latest story content. Growing Light sets the stage for Dawntrail and will not only introduce new scenario quests, but also brings a plethora of new content to enjoy. Along with the new main scenario, a new dungeon awaits in the Lunar Subterrane.

The next big Final Fantasy XIV update launches in just two weeks. At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix revealed FFXIV Patch 6.5 goes live on October 3, 2023.

“Growing Light”, Final Fantasy XIV ’s next big update, is right around the corner. Releasing on October 3rd, Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida previewed the patch in a special Letter from the Producer broadcast from Tokyo Game Show.

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy 14 patch 6.5 'Growing Light' will launch on October 3.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth apparently isn't getting any sort of post-launch DLC.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth creative director Tetsuya Nomura and producer Yoshinori Kitase are in disagreement over the use of the term «JRPG» for their games. 

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth creative director Tetsuya Nomura and producer Yoshinori Kitase can't seem to agree on whether the term JRPG is a bad thing or not.

Square Enix and Xbox have announced that the popular RPG Octopath Traveler 2 will be heading to Xbox and Windows early next year. The HD-2D RPG has already sold over four million copies on Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch since February. Our very own Eric Van Allen scored Octopath Traveler 2 a 9 for its lively world, engaging combat, and fluid progression.

Final Fantasy 14's patch 6.5 might change slightly depending on whether you've played the best raid series in the MMO.

In 2021, Bandai Namco’s Tales of Arise took home the award for Best Role Playing Game at The Game Awards. Since its release, it has gone on to sell over 2 million copies across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Heading into 's tenth anniversary, it's no longer a surprise to see the MMORPG continue to be one of the most popular games in its genre. The development team behind the project — which, lest readers forget, began as an absolute disaster at lauch — has cultivated a reputation for being one of the most trustworthy in the industry. «Quality» and " expansion" seem to go hand-in-hand at this point, and that sustained level of design innovation has made the game into one of the most influential live service options around.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was shown off during PlayStation latest State of Play showcase, giving us a bunch of new details alongside a release date. With a release date announcement naturally comes pre-orders, and Square Enix has revealed a couple of fancy editions if you feel like parting with a bunch more cash for the game. One of them is causing a bit of a stir though, as the Collector's Edition comes with a big ol' statue of Final Fantasy best boy Sephiroth.

Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi digs the MMO entries, so much so he’s got Final Fantasy XIV’s Fan Festival on his schedule. Next month, Square Enix heads to London for its second FFXIV Fan Fest, and Sakaguchi’s on the special guest list.

Final Fantasy 14 has a ridiculously generous free trial—one that, as of next month, is going to include two expansions that encompass hundreds of hours of playtime. It's still a subscription-based MMO at its heart though, something which director and producer Naoki Yoshida doesn't intend on changing anytime soon.

Square Enix has "no plans" to make Final Fantasy 14 free to play even though a lot of the game already is.

FinaFantasy 14's director initially felt like «it wouldn't be possible» for the MMORPG to recover from its failed launch.

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida has revealed that there are no plans at Square Enix to convert the subscription-based MMORPG into a free-to-play game. Speaking to Eurogamer, Yoshida said that, while the game’s free trial will be expanded over time, the company doesn’t want to make the game free-to-play at the moment.

Did you know that the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 has a free trial that now includes the award-winning Stormblood expansion up to level 70 with no restrictions on playtime? The game's community has turned that sales pitch into a long-standing meme, but despite the trial's continued growth, the devs say there are "no plans" to take FF14 fully free-to-play.

Final Fantasy 14 won't be going free-to-play anytime soon.

Square Enix has dropped an information bomb on the future of Final Fantasy 16. The immediate news is that patch 1.10 is available to download now on PS5, with the update adding alternate outfits for main characters, and the ability to change the look of Clive's sword (without changing its stats).

By Antonio G. Di Benedetto, a writer covering tech deals and The Verge’s Deals newsletter, buying guides, and gift guides. Previously, he spent 15 years in the photography industry.

PAX West is a video game convention that occurred this past weekend, and the cast of Final Fantasy XVI and localization director Christopher-Michael Koji Fox spoke at length about the game, its characters, the world of Valisthea, and more. At the start of their panel, though, FFXVI producer Naoki Yoshida announced via video that a free update is available for the game right now, alongside word the game is getting two paid DLCs. Yoshida also revealed that the PC version of FFXVI is currently being developed at Square Enix. 

Clearly listening to calls from fans for more of ’s dark fantasy world and fast-paced combat, Square Enix has revealed that its hit action RPG will be receiving two paid story DLC installments along with a PC port. The announcement came from producer Naoki Yoshida, who spearheaded the project throughout Final Fantasy XVI’s lengthy development process.

Final Fantasy XVIwon't remain a PlayStation 5 exclusive much longer. Square Enix has confirmed that a PC port is officially in development. That's not too much of a shock considering that the game's first trailer in 2020 mentioned a PC version, a tidbit that Square Enix later walked back.

Final Fantasy 16 had a pretty big weekend of announcements, as producer Naoki Yoshida announced the PC version and two installments of paid DLC that have begun development. More details on both are coming before the year is out, but for now, PS5 players can experience the latest update.

A PC version of PlayStation 5 exclusive Final Fantasy 16 is in development, producer Naoki Yoshida has announced, along with two installments of paid story DLC for the Square Enix role-playing game.

Final Fantasy 16's Clive know you're incredibly down bad for his character.

Final Fantasy 16 will be getting plenty of content next year, with a PC version and two DLC packs confirmed to be in the works.

By Jess Weatherbed, a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews.

After much umming and erring which I'm sure has nothing to do with any Sony exclusivity agreements, Square Enix have confirmed that Final Fantasy 16 is, indeed, coming to PC. "We are aware that many of you have been asking for a PC version", producer Naoki Yoshida said in a statement on the platform formerly known as Twitter. "So allow me to take this opportunity to officially announce that development on a PC version is currently underway." There's no Final Fantasy 16 PC release date as yet. Yoshida hopes to be able to share more - together with some insights on the first wodge of Final Fantasy 16 DLC - "before the end of the year".

Final Fantasy XVI boldly departs from series traditions in many ways, including its marketing strategy. Since its release, we’ve known that Producer Naoki Yoshida intends to maintain interest in Final Fantasy XVI in the longterm, with a sales plan that should last 18 months. It appears that we’re starting to see that plan put to action now, as Final Fantasy XVI has received a free update that gives players a reason to dip back into Valisthea again.

Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida has properly, officially confirmed that work has begun on bringing Final Fantasy XVI to PC. In a post made to X, formerly known as Twitter, from the official Final Fantasy account Yoshi-P confirmed what he had wanted to say for some time.

Final Fantasy 16 producer, Naoki Yoshida, has finally revealed the team is working on a PC version of the game, and two sets of paid-for DLC. 

Development of Final Fantasy 16's PC version is finally underway.

Square Enix has officially announced a PC version of Final Fantasy 16 is in development, in addition to two pieces of paid DLC.

Final Fantasy 16's producer, Naoki Yoshida, has confirmed that the game will be receiving two paid DLC expansions and a PC release, alongside a free content update that just dropped today.

During PAX West 2023's 'Voices from Valisthea' panel, Square Enix debuted a new message from Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida.

Square Enix has released a free update for Final Fantasy XVI, which adds a weapon-skin feature, Onion Sword weapon, and new outfits for Clive, Jill, Torgal, and other characters, as well as announced that both a PC version and two paid downloadable contents are currently in development, with more information to come before the end of 2023.

Microsoft has appointed former PlayStation executive Mena Sato Kato as its director of partnerships for Japan.

This discussion has been a long time coming. Since its inception, the term JRPG has been seen as a separate genre from the RPG, often used to identify RPGs that use turn-based combat. Along with this use comes the coming-of-age tropes that were (and still are) popular among Japanese audiences. Fast forward to the modern-day landscape, that term is still relevant and recognizable as a sub-genre of games that even Western developers have dipped their fingers into.

At Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest 2023, game director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) welcomed Xbox boss Phil Spencer onto the stage alongside Square Enix boss Takashi Kiryu to celebrate the announcement that Final Fantasy 14 is finally on its way to Xbox consoles after years of PlayStation console exclusivity. And it sounded like Microsoft had ensured even more Square Enix games will end up on Xbox in the coming years.

In a recent appearance on a Taiwanese gaming channel (as translated by IGN), outspoken Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida lamented fact that there are multiple platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, etc.). Given Yoshida's penchant for making headline-worthy comments, we think the Square Enix veteran is being a bit cheeky here, but it's still an interesting point.

In a recent interview, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida said it would be better for developers and players if games didn't have to straddle competing platforms from rival companies. 

We live in a world where video game consoles are defined by their exclusives. If one is more popular than the other, chances are it has a stronger and more appealing library of titles. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo all have their own franchises that drive people to buy their consoles, but Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has recently made a bit of stir by suggesting that the industry would be better if we only had to one console to choose from.

There are many debates in the video game space that are likely never to be settled. But one of the biggest is the question of “console exclusivity.” Simply put, many gamers don’t like that numerous big-name franchises are either rooted on one console or are unlikely to get ported to other systems until much later. A great example of this is Final Fantasy 16. The game by Square Enix was released on PlayStation 5 recently and will stay there for many months until it is ported to PC. It won’t go to Xbox or Nintendo. But one of the game’s producers wishes things were simpler.

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has said he believes it would be better if there was just a single game platform.

On July 28, Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit III unveiled the newest expansion for Final Fantasy 14, Dawntrail, at the 2023 FF14 Fan Festival. The energy on the show floor was electric, especially since it had been several years since a physical Fan Festival took place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The father of the Final Fantasy series has high praise for Final Fantasy 16.

Hideki Kamiya, who you'll probably know as the creator of Bayonetta and Okami and as that guy who blocked you on Twitter, thinks «JRPG» is A-OK. The vice president of Platinum Games was asked for his take on the term—which has been the subject of a debate in the last few months—in a chat with VGC, and came out strongly in favour of it. In fact, he thinks Japan should wear it as a badge of honour: A symbol of everything unique and essential about the country's games.