Final Fantasy 16 Producer Was Impressed That Square Enix Allowed Higher Development Costs

In a new video as part of Square Enix’s “The Games That Made Us” series, Final Fantasy 14 and 16 producer Naoki Yoshida and composer Masayoshi Soken talk about their past in gaming. Check out the 16-minute-long video below.

As you can expect from the duo, quite a bit of the time they spent working together revolves around Final Fantasy 14. The two also talk about other games, including The Portopia Serial Murder Case, Wingman, Final Fantasy 5, and Dragon Quest 3.

In the video, Yoshida also goes on to talk about Final Fantasy 16‘s development, stating that he was proud of the concept and story that the studio came up with.

“Of course, while we were making the game, we’d go through twists and turns, but I think we did well to really stay true to our course,” says Yoshida. “It might sound strange coming from my position, but I really admire the team. I’m proud of them for seeing it through and creating the game to its fullest.”

Yoshida also reveals that he was impressed by Square Enix approving Final Fantasy 16‘s development costs.

“I can’t say how much, but I have to hand it to them that we were allowed to spend this much,” he says. “As such, I do feel a little pressure in terms of wanting to pay it back, but it really was incredible.”

Final Fantasy 16 was released on PS5 last year. Since then, the game has seen the release of two DLCs—Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide. A PC port of Final Fantasy 16 is also currently in the works.