After a discrete TGS'17 trailer, Square-Enix ensues an official statement: "We would like to announce that Tetsuya Nomura has stepped down as director from Final Fantasy VII in order to focus on new breathtaking and promising projects that will shape the future of our company. Hajime Tabata will now take the lead and deliver the product the fans want to play. Thank you".
Hajime Tabata: "While making Final Fantasy VII Remake we want players to play a cohesive story in one go, so the game is no longer episodic from now on"
*3 months later*
Hajime Tabata: "While making Final Fantasy VII Remake we want players to play a cohesive story in one go, so you will get the full experience... by playing the game"
*the game misses an E3, 5 months later*
Hajime Tabata: "While making Final Fantasy VII Remake we want players to experience a story told in all formats and perspectives. Announcing Final Fantasy VII: MidGuard, which tells the events that kick the main game story in motion."
*the movie releases, it's basically the whole first 10 hours of the original game condensed into 50 minutes. Fans start being angry at Tabata. Meanwhile, Sony has announced during E32019 Final Fantasy Versus XV, directed by Tetsuya Nomura, which is described as an alternative fantasy to FFXV, fans go crazy and wishes that Nomura was both directing Versus XV and VIIR*
Hajime Tabata: "While making Final Fantasy VII Remake, we want players to experience a cohesive story which connects the main game to MidGuard and the Crisis Core 2 episode anime. Players who only want to play the game, however, will still get the full picture and will understand everything"
*3 months later, Nomura has released a """"gameplay"""" trailer for Versus XV and it looks freaking good. What we are seeing from the Tabata VII Remake, however, is underwhelming*
Hajime Tabata: "I don't think players should expect to see things from the original vision by old staff that no longer works on the game, but please, this product is still the same as when it was announced?"
*the game is 2 months from being released. Nomura, being the snake he is, uses a poorly drawn signature in a quick artwork to let the fans know that the company doesn't let him show Versus XV until Tabata releases his game. "It's VIIR's turn... sorry for not showing a new trailer, I actually wanted to...". Fans rage.*
Hajime Tabata: "you know what? please watch the movie before playing the game next month..."
*the game releases. You can't visit Midgar City, the only overworld area is the Junon-Midgar continent, you can tell it was rushed to be released. The story doesn't make sense if you don't watch the movie beforehand... and some parts of it were chopped of! Fans are angry that they have to endure this mess of a game which is not even cohesive while Nomura is prohibited to show more of his project*
Hajime Tabata: "when did I say that we wanted to tell a cohesive story? bitch fill the gaps yourself, like..."
*VII R has gained its fanbase, and thanks to the hype, it has sold extremely well. It has been a while since the last time Versus XV got a trailer. People start wondering what is happening to the project*
Tetsuya Nomura: "News from Final Fantasy Versus XV will come, soon".
*However, the news never come. Rumors start surfacing that Versus XV is facing development problems and after the game misses E3'21, S-E releases a statement in which they confirm that they are still working on the game and that players will be surprised the next time they see the game. 3 months later, TGS starts and...*
Square-Enix: "We would like to announce that Tetsuya Nomura has stepped down as director from Final Fantasy Versus XV in order to focus on new breathtaking and promising projects that will shape the future of our company. Kyohei Suzuki will now take the lead and deliver the product the fans want to play. Thank you"
*But Tetsuya Nomura sits at his S-E office about to sign his contract as main director for Final Fantasy XVI, a game that is going to be outsourced because everyone in the company is busy right now. However, Nomura insists that he has the perfect vision for the sixteenth FF game and that it should be made right now.
He has schemed the ultimate plan to take Square-Enix as his. He has destroyed the careers of many rivals: Hiroyuki Ito lives his final days cleaning the toilets of the Akihabara TWEWY café, no one has ever seen Tai Yasue since KH3 launched with 3 playable worlds and 3 minutes of convoluted story and now it is Suzuki's turn. While tickling his hair, he wonders: which other S-E figure should be served as the next pawn? Should he mess with Tabata one more time, or is it Naoki Yoshida's the one that will go next? He will decide that later. It's E3'22 now and the company just debuted the first trailer for Final Fantasy XVI, directed by Tetsuya Nomura, at Sony's conference. During a press conference held the week later, all eyes are on the japanese director*
Tetsuya Nomura: "Oh my god? AM I the person directing this game?? And why is it that I'm finding it out just now? Honestly I had NO IDEA that I was directing this game. Also, why did we even announce it last week? I think that we should be catious, since the game has just entered pre-production. Yeah, FFXVI was announced too soon. Look forward to future announcements. Soon!"