Yoshi-P: FFXIV Housing and Chocobos Are Getting Changes, Evangelion and FF7 Remake Cross-overs are the Biggest Challenges

At the end of the first day of the Final Fantasy Festival, Final Fantasy XIV Online director Naoki Yoshida, also known as Yoshi-P, traditionally gives us an hour and a half of his time. Although tired after a long day, having reportedly been at the exhibition venue since 6:30 in the morning, he does not hesitate to answer questions from 9:30 in the evening. His responses once again demonstrate how he views the gaming community, that he follows and plays World of Warcraft, and that he is not afraid of taking on new challenges.

ABOUT THE EVERCOLD EXPANSION

What was the biggest challenge in creating Evercold’s visual identity and making it feel different from the winter environments of Ishgard or Garlemald?

With Evercold, you naturally focus on ice and snow. However, with all of our zones, the goal is not simply to create snowy plains, but to make something the player has never visited before. During the development process, we do not focus only on the visuals, but also on the overall scenery, everyday life and other aspects that reflect something characteristic of the zone. Only after we understand the direction of the region do we create artwork for it, and the same approach applies to other aspects of the expansion.

This time, we looked at Nordic cultures as a source of inspiration and then combined them with the Final Fantasy aesthetic. The difference compared to Garlemald is noticeable, however. Garlemald was primarily a dark, icy environment, while here we are heading in a different direction, even if it may initially have looked similar.

In Evercold, you want to distinguish tank roles more clearly between main-tank and off-tank types. Will players be able to switch between them easily, or is it time for Warriors to learn how to play as off-tanks?

There may have been a misunderstanding here. Nothing is changing in the original Reborn Mode. The changes apply only to Evolved Mode. However, I can sense a certain degree of sarcasm in the suggestion that it is time to learn how to play as an off-tank. We previously received similar feedback regarding Dark Knight and how it would be played. There is no need to prepare for anything in this regard. Players can look forward to a new design and a new style of play. It will become particularly noticeable in high-end content, such as raids or Savage difficulty, where the new types of battles and mechanics will appear.

ABOUT THE BASTION JOB

Was the Bastion job inspired by jobs from other Final Fantasy games?

No, Bastion was developed independently, while jobs such as Red Mage or Pictomancer had certain connections to previous games. Whenever we prepare a new job, however, our primary concern is whether it will immerse players and capture their interest. For example, we knew that we needed a new type of tank, so we came up with Bastion, and we believe it will be fun for players.

Can you explain the overall concept of the Bastion job and how it differs from the other tank roles, particularly because it also has ranged attacks?

Bastion is somewhat similar to Paladin when it comes to ranged attacks. Bastion can shoot, but overall it has a good combination of melee and ranged strikes. It can therefore be useful in a variety of encounters. As we also mentioned during the keynote, one of Bastion’s key advantages is its ability to defend and recover effectively. As a main tank, it can also apply abilities to party members. Once you understand a boss’s attacks, you can carefully plan how to defend the party while also making use of a broad range of offensive options.

ABOUT HOUSING, CHOCOBOS AND OTHER CHANGES

Are you planning to modernize the housing system in Final Fantasy XIV?

Okay, we know where that question is heading. (World of Warcraft introduced a more accessible system in its Midnight expansion, allowing every player to own a house.) Many journalists who know us are aware that we respect the World of Warcraft team. When we saw what they had announced, how their new system worked and that they had mentioned wanting to surpass FFXIV, we considered it an honor. I tested the housing system in WoW myself, and it is excellent.

However, this is an ongoing mission for us. We enjoy new challenges, so we will also take another look at our own housing system, and we are already preparing plans for changes in the Patch 8.x series. These will bring major changes to the user interface and make the system and its design more accessible to casual players.

Why have you decided to make significant updates to chocobos through the announced Companion Chocobo System?

Originally, we were not even considering it at this stage or for Patch 8.0. However, it had been on our minds since Patch 7.2. When it comes to game design, we discuss it with several different teams. Ideas are not brought to the table only by me and my team, but also by other groups, including the Operations, Marketing and PR teams. When we asked them what they would change in the game, they put together an enormous list of ideas. We then prioritized them, and the Companion Chocobo System emerged as one of the top items. That is why we decided to work on it, and major additions involving chocobos will begin arriving with Patch 8.1.

How can you ensure that new players have a great experience from the beginning of A Realm Reborn all the way to Evercold? Are you preparing any changes to accelerate or alter the player experience? Depending on the pace, the main story quests alone can take at least 300 hours...

We are considering two solutions. The first could be implemented before Evercold or alongside its release. The second requires a particular system, and we still need to determine whether it is feasible. But you know me. I appreciate the time players devote to following the story from A Realm Reborn through to the latest content. Nevertheless, we are seriously thinking about this, and we may discuss one of the solutions at the Japanese Final Fantasy Festival.

ABOUT CHALLENGES AND CROSSOVERS

Are there any other challenges you want to take on with Evercold and the content that follows it?

We have been setting challenges for ourselves since the days of A Realm Reborn, or FFXIV version 2.0. Behind them is a continuous process of creating content and attempting to increase the number of players. Our ambition is to grow that number threefold or even fivefold. However, whenever we take on a challenge and announce it, we also create room for failure. Bugs may appear, for example, or there may be problems with content balancing. We have made mistakes several times before.

But even when facing risks, my team and I are determined to continue investing in the game and taking on new challenges. Even after I return from Berlin, we will be under a certain amount of pressure, but we will continue pursuing our goal.

With which type of content do you feel that the team is taking on its boldest challenges?

It is quite difficult to identify only one type of content, but crossovers generally require a great deal of courage. In this case, that applies to the two newest raids: the Evangelion collaboration, Desire, and the FF7 Remake crossover, Beyond the Lifestream.

In both cases, we are placing great emphasis on the story and on making the content enjoyable to play. We are spending a great deal of time on the boss battles, particularly in the case of Evangelion, because it is a completely different world. Combining it with our own world while maintaining a coherent story is a major challenge.

We also want to demonstrate a certain degree of boldness with another type of content, currently known by the working title “world raid,” which will take place directly within the open zones.

Which team approached the other regarding the collaboration between FF14 and FF7 Remake for the Beyond the Lifestream crossover?

I was the one who approached the other team. As you know, ever since A Realm Reborn, we have wanted FFXIV Online to serve as an entertaining Final Fantasy theme park for players. We therefore receive many requests for collaborations, costumes, characters and similar additions. Since I am also a member of Square Enix’s board of directors, I knew how development of the entire FF7 Remake series was progressing and that the team wanted to complete it as soon as possible. I am also a fan of the series myself.

For precisely that reason, we did not want to create a half-hearted collaboration. We wanted to wait until the timing was genuinely appropriate. Final Fantasy 7 Revelation has now been announced, so we know how the development is progressing. The team is preparing for the final stages and the game’s release, making this an excellent time to deploy the crossover. By working together, we can help generate excitement for both titles and for the entire Final Fantasy series. We want to execute it on a truly large scale. (FFXIV: Evercold will be released in January 2027, while FF7 Revelation will follow in the spring, so cross-promotion makes a great deal of sense at this time.)

ABOUT DEVELOPMENT AND THE COMMUNITY

Were you surprised by the community’s reaction to Chort, the boss from Patch 7.5 who quickly inspired numerous memes?

Yes, I am extremely happy that Chort was received so positively. He is very popular and has inspired a large number of memes. But I personally have no idea why such a wave of interest emerged. He is a large, round fellow, and what else is there to say? When things like this happen and the media and social media generate that kind of popularity, it is a wonderful discovery for us as creators. It shows that we managed to create an excellent piece of content.

How have you managed to cultivate a fan base willing to sit through a keynote lasting almost three hours, as though they were attending a B2B conference?

It is not a one-way process. The relationship between Square Enix and the media used to be different. However, as a director at Square Enix, I decided that we would provide both the media and players with a large amount of information. I believe it is important to be honest with them. When something needs to be done or changed, it should be communicated. I think that is exactly what it comes down to. We want to be completely honest about why and how we make changes, and we have followed this approach with FFXIV for 16 years.

We apply this approach to both the media and the player community. We do not want to separate them. Instead, we want them to understand one another, so we cultivate both groups together. When there is an important piece of content that needs to be communicated, we present it to everyone at the same time. (This also applies to the Final Fantasy Festivals, where the media and players have the same access to the main stage, keynote, tournaments and activities, and journalists regularly have to wait in the same queues.)

I admit that keynotes lasting almost three hours are a little long, so we should pay closer attention to the time. But because we received so much encouragement, we continued wanting to remain on stage and complete the presentations.

What caused the change in your approach to the “strictness of lore rules” and the possibility of changing elements such as a character’s horns, markings or other features?

As game developers, we need to design how the world functions and establish its rules. That is why we have traditionally been very strict about what it should be like. We understand the requests from players, but they often conflicted with the rules of the world. However, when it comes to certain elements, I would consider relaxing some of those rules. Although I personally love the original approach, I understand that other players want to change and visualize their characters according to their own preferences.

It is not really a question of what is right or wrong, but rather of giving players a choice. Those who see things the way I do and might shout that “these changes are a disgrace” can keep the original settings, just as I will. However, we do not want to force other players down the same path. They should be able to choose their preferred level of customization.

You began working on FF14 when you were 37 years old, and today you are 53. Has your approach to game development changed over time? Do you ever think about retirement, or do you intend to remain committed to making video games?

Fundamentally, nothing has changed for me, or at least not in terms of my basic approach. At the same time, I understand that game development is changing, and we are adapting to it. What worked in the past may no longer work today. This also applies to FFXIV and to how we think about the game’s development. In Japan, and in modern society more generally, we feel as though we are constantly fighting against time. People have less and less free time for entertainment, and we need to reflect that.

However, I am not thinking about retirement. If Square Enix came to me and said that it no longer needed me, I would leave. But I would not leave because I no longer felt motivated. Even if I were to retire, which is possible from the age of 60 in Japan, I would still continue developing games together with my friends from the industry.

As I have said many times about Final Fantasy XIV, it is my life’s work. Until someone tells me, “Yoshida, you should leave now,” I will still be here.