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In case you haven’t heard, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of Final Fantasy, is returning home to Square Enix, so to speak, for the first time in 21 years, bringing Mistwalker’s one-time Apple Arcade-exclusive RPG Fantasian to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 (both physically and digitally) and to PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam (digitally) on December 5, 2024, in the form of Fantasian Neo Dimension.
To investigate more about his latest effort, which was first announced in 2018 and released three years later, Nintendo Life met up with Sakaguchi-san a few weeks ago (before the birth of his grandchild!) in Los Angeles to discuss his newest game’s second life, and whether it would be his final Fantasian.
Nintendo Life (James Mielke): About a year and a half ago, I asked you [Interviewer’s note: I met up with Sakaguchi-san in Tokyo in February 2023] if there were any plans to bring it to consoles or PC after the Apple Arcade exclusivity had expired, and you said something was in the works. Did you already know at that time that you would be publishing with Square Enix?
Hironobu Sakaguchi: Not at that time. We didn’t have a clear path or answer. I was probably talking with about four different publishers.
NL: Were you already working on porting it to other consoles, or was that in a holding pattern until you had secured a publisher.
HS: That decision was — because we had an exclusive deal with Apple Arcade — I knew from the very beginning, even at that time, that once this deal was over and [the exclusivity period had expired], that this game was going to come to other platforms. Even before I secured the deal [with] Apple Arcade, I knew in my head that it would come to other consoles.
NL: So even when you were preparing it for Apple Arcade, you were prepping the materials for other platforms at that time?
HS: Yes. For example, we shot everything in 4K, where the specs for an Apple Arcade game would not fit. But we did that because we knew that time would eventually come [to use them].
NL: So for the most part, for all the versions you’ll be releasing this year, all the hard work was already done, you just had to perform the various platform conversions once the exclusivity was up.
HS: I believe so, and just to let you in on the feedback we’ve gotten from [Naoki] Yoshida at Square Enix -[it] is that the so-called porting work that we have taken on has been so fast. The programmers on our side knew that we were eventually going to take the game from mobile to console, they had done their job to the best of their knowledge at the time and all the different versions that we’re bringing out through Square Enix – they’ve never seen porting work done so quickly.
But at the same time, not everything is smooth sailing. Originally we didn’t have voice-over in mind, so I’ve been told that’s been a little bit of a challenge, but it’s getting done. Probably the lowest barrier to entry port project would have been if we’d done it ourselves and only done a PC release on Steam. That would have been easy, fast, quick, doesn’t involve any other partners, and was the minimum tier we were anticipating at the time.
NL: So is Square Enix actually handling the porting process themselves?
HS: I’m glad you asked, because the porting work itself is actually being done at Mistwalker, but anything that has to do with the voice acting and voice-over is being handled at Square Enix.
NL: Are there any specific enhancements, other than voice-over, that the console versions are receiving?
HS: The additional enhancements are one, you’re going from smartphone to controller-based consoles and PCs, so redoing the controller scheme is the first. Second, adjusting the balance for combat […] gives us an opportunity to reach a wider player base, so we’ve rebalanced the combat system.
NL: So the Apple Arcade version is Fantasian, but the upcoming version is Fantasian Neo Dimension. What does this new name imply?
HS: The positioning is that it’s more like a Director’s Cut of Fantasian. All the things I’ve said — the uprezzing, controller scheme, updating enhancing the combat system balance. There is no additional story content, but we’ve basically covered it all, namely the voice-over.
NL: So the composer for the game, your longtime friend and colleague, Nobuo Uematsu, has expressed his desire to move away from full game soundtrack composition, and you yourself have hinted at retirement. Do you still feel that way? What happens if Fantasian Neo Dimension is super popular and the fans demand a sequel? You once thought Final Fantasy might be your last game, too, so is this really your final Fantasian?
HS: Of course I can’t say much, or at all, but I’m already working on the next project, so regardless of whether this is a hit or not, I’m working on something already.
regardless of whether this is a hit or not, I’m working on something already
NL: So you’re not retiring yet.
HS: I’m going to be a grandfather very soon, so I have to work and buy many toys. [Editor’s Note: Since speaking with him, Sakaguchi-san has indeed become a grandparent — see the Bluesky post below.]
NL: So regarding Uematsu-san’s status, is Fantasian Neo Dimension the last thing you will work on together?
HS: So the Fantasian franchise is the last one where I’ve had [Uematsu] work on the entirety of the game in terms of music. But we’ve already promised to each other that there’s a next opportunity for us. It may not be the entire [soundtrack], but we will be working together on something.
NL: A sort of random aside, but how did Akira Toriyama’s passing affect you, especially having worked with him so closely for many years.
HS: If anyone has a chance to work with someone like Toriyama-san, consider yourself lucky. I feel fortunate to have worked with him on Chrono Trigger, Blue Dragon, etc.
NL: Final question; Square Enix is releasing Fantasian Neo Dimension as a physical product in addition to digital, right?
HS: Yes. Switch and PlayStation 5. I’m happy about these versions coming out in physical form.
Our thanks to Sakaguchi-san. Fantasian Neo Dimension launches for Switch on 5th December.