Final Fantasy Legend Continues: Creator Unveils Dream for Spiritual Successor

Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, is back in the game development scene, despite earlier plans to retire. His latest ambition? To craft a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy VI.

A New Chapter After Fantasian

Following the success of Fantasian Neo Dimension (initially released in 2021), Sakaguchi revealed in an interview with The Verge that he initially intended Fantasian to be his final project. However, the positive experience collaborating with his team led him to embark on a new venture, aiming to create a game that serves as a follow-up to Final Fantasy VI. He describes this new project as "part two of my farewell note."

Development Update and Speculation

In a 2024 Famitsu interview, Sakaguchi confirmed the project's progress, estimating completion within two years. A trademark filing by Mistwalker for "FANTASIAN DARK AGE" in June 2024 fueled speculation about a potential sequel, although this remains unconfirmed. The new game will reportedly maintain a similar fantasy RPG style to his previous works.

Square Enix Reunion and Future Plans

The collaboration with Square Enix to port FANTASIAN Neo Dimension to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch (released December 2024) marked a significant reunion for Sakaguchi. While he expressed satisfaction with this collaboration, he confirmed his lack of interest in revisiting the Final Fantasy franchise or his past works, stating that he's now a "consumer rather than a creator."

Sakaguchi's journey, from his early days at Square (now Square Enix) where he directed the first four mainline Final Fantasy titles and produced Final Fantasy VI through Final Fantasy XI, to founding Mistwalker and creating titles like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, culminates in this exciting new project. While details remain scarce, the anticipation for his "spiritual successor" to Final Fantasy VI is undeniably high.