• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Will Hiroyuki Ito (FF6/FF9/FF12 game director) return to direct FFXV?

"For me, the most important element of a RPG is the player feeling like they are taking the role of a character in a fully realised fantasy world. They can explore a vast world, visit various towns and dungeons, talk to numerous NPCs, customise the equipment and abilities of their character, collect a wide variety of items, battle many different types of monsters, and engage in optional side-quests and mini-games. The story and event scenes are also important, but they should be balanced with these aspects of RPG gameplay."

I found this quote from the Final Fantasy XII Scenario Ultimania on his wiki, and unsurprisingly, it makes a lot of sense considering the man's body of work. He knows how to make great JRPGs. He's either directed or co-directed the most well-received/respected entries in the FF series, but since 2007, it looks like all he's been doing is serving as an advisor on handheld/mobile games...

Surely someone with that kind of pedigree has to be working on something larger behind the scenes right? If it hasn't already, by now FFXV is definitely in some stage of early development. Toriyama and Kitase are busy wrapping up the conclusion of their epic FFXIII saga, Nomura is busy doing whatever he's doing with Versus, and the FFXIV crew is busy desperately trying to resurrect that game....who's left to work on FFXV? Do you think we'll see Ito leading the next major game? Be it Agni's Philosophy/FFXV/etc?

I think the series is due for another solid entry from him right about now.
 

Dunan

Member
I sure hope he's doing something. His work on FFXII was amazing, and after reading all the Ultimania interviews with him, plus his opinions on the International Zodiac version, I came away with a great impression of him. Let's hope that he's secretly been making another FFXII-like game behind the scenes!
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
12 was amazing but I don't think SE will make a game like that again. The world was so beautiful and detailed, it would would take them 4 years to make an HD Rabanastre never mind the other locations.
 

UberTag

Member
Would this be a smart decision? YES.
But Square Enix won't go that route.
Ito is a janitor now. Or keeping busy with browser and cellphone games.
Toriyama will direct FFXV. And it will star LIGHTNING!

Personally, I would love it if Ito went out the door to develop games for someone else. But I have to imagine he's got too sweet of a financial deal with Square Enix to bail.
 

LevityNYC

Banned
I liked 12's environment and battle system, but i hated the character design and the leveling/equipment system. Characters shouldn't be blank slates in battle.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
After working on that block flipping browser game and Guardian Cross, I remain unconvinced he's not working in the social/mobile department.
 

fvng

Member
How is it possible that one man directed the best final fantasies in the series? Please bring him back. Soon is not enough
 

Tomodachi

Member
The only thing that would make sense right now for FF, also considering the long development window allowed by FFXIII and its sequels and the fact that he's basically missing in action since FFXII.

BELIEVE.
 

Pagusas

Elden Member
I hope not, unless he can rekindle what was lost after 6 (6 & 7 are my favorite games in the series)

6 - 9 I loved, everything after has been average (10) to tragically bad (12,13).

FF needs NEW blood, that can push the series in new directions that fit more with today's gaming world.

FF needs to be more open, less linear. They should be pioneering story telling in non-linear worlds, instead they are making the tunnels even tighter (13).
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Would this be a smart decision? YES.
But Square Enix won't go that route.
Ito is a janitor now. Or keeping busy with browser and cellphone games.
Toriyama will direct FFXV. And it will star LIGHTNING!

This seems more legit than the OP's suggestion, because I don't trust SE to do anything right.

Would love it if he were working on XV though. Probably the only way I'd be legitimately interested in it.
 

jj984jj

He's a pretty swell guy in my books anyway.
I hope we hear about the big project he's been working on in this new generation.
 

Tomodachi

Member
6 - 9 I loved, everything after has been average (10) to tragically bad (12,13).

iUsHoGcmLekUp.gif
 

duckroll

Member
I hope we hear about the big project he's been working on in this new generation.

I doubt he's working on any big project right now. Whatever he was working on previously probably got canned, like all the other S-E games in that time frame due to FFXIV.
 

Pagusas

Elden Member

Yes, it was terrible. The worst cast of characters, the ugliest world, the worst level design and the worst story of them all. My personal biggest disappointment In gaming (though 10 had already set me up for it).

God the world map sucked. Why have they failed to get this right sense 9?!
 

kayos90

Tragic victim of fan death
I don't know... For all we know maybe they're preserving him in cryostasis until SE is really having a panic attack.
 
The Ito love around here amazes me.

I'd be interested to see this happen, since Ito has always had others to lean heavily on during development (Kitase, Sakaguchi, and Matsuno).

The guy is pretty fantastic in the technical elements of the FF games he's been assigned to, but even after 20+ years with the company he's never proven he can lead a FF team on his own. Not sure why everyone considers him such a savior.
 

Boss Man

Member
Incidentally, Sakaguchi was asked what would be able to return the FF franchise to its previous glory, and he gave a simple answer: "Hiroyuki Ito."
This sounds like it could be part of a FF cut scene. You play as a young man named Ito trying to break the shackles of an oppressive world. Only you can save the land of SE, but will you follow your fate or succumb to baser desires? *Cue J-Pop song with supreme boss villain Gackt*
 
I sure hope he's doing something. His work on FFXII was amazing, and after reading all the Ultimania interviews with him, plus his opinions on the International Zodiac version, I came away with a great impression of him. Let's hope that he's secretly been making another FFXII-like game behind the scenes!

I'm playing through FFXII again right now (inspiration for the thread, lol) and my mind is just blown away at how well written the scripting/voice work/characters are. Really amazing stuff. Beyond even the excellent localizations of Persona 4; Beyond DQ8; just on a whole other level.

I'm also loving that the adults are the focus of the story. It wasn't totally clear to me the first time, but the kids (Vaan and Penelo) are really just tagging along and are not really the lead characters. It's an ensemble cast, with IMO, Baasch, Ashe, & Balthier/Fran playing leading roles. The kids are just there as citizens caught up in everything. And the guest characters, Vossler/Larsa/mother fucking Reddas are more fleshed out and interesting than main characters in most other games, and maybe some of the main cast at times. The villains/judges are really great too.

I hope to god we see more of FFXII than FFXIII in whatever FFXV turns out to be.
 

duckroll

Member
The Ito love around here amazes me.

I'd be interested to see this happen, since Ito has always had others to lean heavily on during development (Kitase, Sakaguchi, and Matsuno).

The guy is pretty fantastic in the technical elements of the FF games he's been assigned to, but even after 20+ years with the company he's never proven he can lead a FF team on his own. Not sure why everyone considers him such a savior.

Desperation. The lack of any other veteran within S-E who remains untainted. The irrational belief that somehow the problems of a developer can be solved by simply turning to the right person who is available and has simply been untapped for a long time. It's the easiest and quickest solution to a complex problem, even if it is unrealistic.
 
Top Bottom