Cool interview with Tabata on VG274 from our @APZonerunner, who a few weeks ago also wrote a great preview of the recent demo of the first 3 chapters.
http://www.vg247.com/2016/09/01/fin...talks-delays-versus-fan-expectation-and-more/
http://www.vg247.com/2016/09/01/fin...talks-delays-versus-fan-expectation-and-more/
Japanese developers are typically a bit buttoned-up. There are exceptions, of course, like Street Fighters wonderfully eccentric Yoshinori Ono, but mostly they remain cool-headed. After our chat at gamescom a few weeks ago, Final Fantasy 15s Hajime Tabata has added himself to the exception list.
At one point, mid interview, his expression changes in recognition. VG247? he asks as I finish a question. I nod, and he launches into an excited explanation that hed read my preview of the master build of FF15. It was long! Awesome, he says in Japanese. Then Thank you so much, in English. He seems entirely cool with the fact that it wasnt all positive, too.
[...]
VG274:
Was it frustrating at all, being partially tied to an older project? Was there anything where you thought that if fans werent anticipating it, you wouldve cut or changed it?
Tabata:
There were things like that Id always try to take things to a level where I was comfortable with it and could put it into the finished game. There were things where if I couldnt do that, I cut them.
I really felt that within my own personal preferences and my own priorities that rather than have something thats been announced in an unfinished state that we cannot get finished, we cannot make a final product much more important than that is having a finished, enjoyable game that people can play and like. So when it became the choice between that, I had no doubt in my mind that we had to cut things for the purposes of the game.
But every time I do that, people start bashing me! [laughs]
Whenever weve had to remove something, its always been a very vivid, negative reaction. Its been quite hard for me to tell is this a reaction from someone who is speaking from the point of view of a FF fan first, or are they just a fan of Versus, or are they just people who just want to say bad things? It can be really hard to tell. I didnt take too much heat, but some people around me were quite shocked by that and didnt like the reaction they got. I feel I did cause some people some problems there I feel sorry they had to endure that.
[...]
VG274:
For what its worth, I disagree with the people who feel FF should be enshrined as only turn-based forever.
Tabata:
That gives me confidence, to hear somebody who says theyre a long-time FF fan say that it really does. I really feel that its not what FF should be, to be a series that just brings back nostalgic memories to people. It shouldnt be that.
At one point, mid interview, his expression changes in recognition. VG247? he asks as I finish a question. I nod, and he launches into an excited explanation that hed read my preview of the master build of FF15. It was long! Awesome, he says in Japanese. Then Thank you so much, in English. He seems entirely cool with the fact that it wasnt all positive, too.
[...]
VG274:
Was it frustrating at all, being partially tied to an older project? Was there anything where you thought that if fans werent anticipating it, you wouldve cut or changed it?
Tabata:
There were things like that Id always try to take things to a level where I was comfortable with it and could put it into the finished game. There were things where if I couldnt do that, I cut them.
I really felt that within my own personal preferences and my own priorities that rather than have something thats been announced in an unfinished state that we cannot get finished, we cannot make a final product much more important than that is having a finished, enjoyable game that people can play and like. So when it became the choice between that, I had no doubt in my mind that we had to cut things for the purposes of the game.
But every time I do that, people start bashing me! [laughs]
Whenever weve had to remove something, its always been a very vivid, negative reaction. Its been quite hard for me to tell is this a reaction from someone who is speaking from the point of view of a FF fan first, or are they just a fan of Versus, or are they just people who just want to say bad things? It can be really hard to tell. I didnt take too much heat, but some people around me were quite shocked by that and didnt like the reaction they got. I feel I did cause some people some problems there I feel sorry they had to endure that.
[...]
VG274:
For what its worth, I disagree with the people who feel FF should be enshrined as only turn-based forever.
Tabata:
That gives me confidence, to hear somebody who says theyre a long-time FF fan say that it really does. I really feel that its not what FF should be, to be a series that just brings back nostalgic memories to people. It shouldnt be that.
