Final Fantasy Tactics team "heavily involved in (a) project" per Square Enix interview

[TGR Sean]

PlanetSmasher noticed the following exchange in a recent Theatrhythm Final Bar Line interview, in regards to a question about Opera Omnia

Interview Theatrhythm : Hazama & Suzui (ENG) - Finaland

Votre site de référence sur la saga Final Fantasy et toute l’actualité Square Enix

www.finaland.com

Finaland: Our question concerns the casting of the game and notably the absence of main characters. It is now the 6th anniversary in Japan and we're still missing characters such as Rikku, Red XIII, many characters from FINAL FANTASY TACTICS and FINAL FANTASY XIV. Is there a reason for this, can we hope to see them one day?

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Hazama: I think I can sort of explain the situation. Regarding FINAL FANTASY TACTICS characters and why most of them are not in the game yet, it is essentially similar to what we do with Theatrhythm. This is a title coming with the whole series, involving characters and stories for every single one of them. What we really don't want to do with these kinds of games like Opera Omnia and Theatrhythm is just to do Final Fantasy how we think it is, how we think it should be. We have to check with the staff who are responsible for each of the individual titles.

For example if it is related to FINAL FANTASY VII, we have to go to talk with Nomura-san to check, for FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, it is the team who owns Tactics, we have to talk to them. There are different people among the company who own those games, who made them. We have to talk about the characters, what kind of abilities they should have, how they should behave in the game, how they should be portrayed, this kind of performance. We need to check all that, we just don't want to do it ourselves.

The Tactics team is incredibly busy at the moment, they have other things to do. They are heavily involved in another project at the moment so we just don't have time to talk to them. I think that's probably why more TACTICS characters haven't been included in the game, we just need time to find out the details. I think that's what is going on, at the very least with Tactics characters. I'm sure they will put them into the game, Fujiwara-san wants TACTICS, I know that.

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While Final Fantasy Tactics was part of the NVIDIA leak, its nice to see some official confirmation from SquareEnix that the team has a project in the works.

 

[LinguisticGoblin]

War of the Lions was in the Nvidia leak, yeah. Must be that.

 

[yyr]

I'm not going to say what we're all thinking, because it's obvious, but

...

aw, the hell with it.

PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PUH-LEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE BE FFT2!!!!! AJHKSDSHLKSKJFSMN

...but I'll accept a "reborn" FFT also, I guess.

 

[Gure]

👀

 

[jon bones]

ready for the remaster!!

 

[AuthenticM]

War of the Lions was in the Nvidia leak, yeah. Must be that.

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possibly yeah. They could also be working on something else, with the Tactics remaster being handled by someone else.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

Huh, referring to them as the "Tactics team". Interesting. Not been a team for many years (they all got absorbed by FFXIV).

 

[Lulu]

 

[PlanetSmasher]

possibly yeah. They could also be working on something else, with the Tactics remaster being handled by someone else.

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It's a little more complicated than that. Square has IP shepherds inside of their business units, so even if the grunt work of developing the FFT remaster is being done by an external studio, the FFT folks would still be deeply involved in the process. They don't just outsource and let the external partner go nuts.

For example, Tactics Ogre Reborn was technically developed by part of the team that made FF12: The Zodiac Age, but Matsuno et al were still directly involved in the project.

 

[SilverArrow20XX]

Tactics Reborn.
Tactics 2.
Tactics A1+2 Reborn.
Tactics A3.
Give me all of them.

 

[varkuriru]

I am ready to blame myself or god.

 

[Lulu]

How much of the FFT team is still there after 25 years?

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

How much of the FFT team is still there after 25 years?

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Minagawa and ito are still there.

Matsuo/yoshida/sakimoto aren't SE employees anymore but still do plenty of contract work for SE

That's the core team basically

I think the FF16 writer was on the tactics team too

 

[Dark Knight]

Still crazy to me, given the intense popularity and legacy of the Tactics games, they never touched the IP again after Advance 2.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

How much of the FFT team is still there after 25 years?

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I think what they mean by "Tactics team" is the producers who are in charge of FFT.

 

[knightmawk]

I'll take a remaster of War of the Lions, even with weirdly smoothe graphics. I'd love and HD2D remake or even better a sequel, but I'll take anything.

I'm not even opposed to remakes of the two Advance games, or an Advance sequel. Just give me something that starts with FF and ends with T.

 

[Sumio Mondo]

I wonder if Cattle Call are helping this one, due to their involvement with another Hiroyuki Ito project - Dungeon Encounters.

 

[Deleted member 896]

Still crazy to me, given the intense popularity and legacy of the Tactics games, they never touched the IP again after Advance 2.

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I don't know. I get it. I mean I think part of the issue is just that the lasting popularity/legacy of the game is carried by a relatively small but very passionate fanbase. Particularly with the original, those who love the game REALLY love it, but it's not clear that it's a very large group. If you were to sit down to really contemplate a genuine Tactics 2 as a stakeholder, I'm not really sure what you'd be shooting for in terms of scope/budget. Is it going to be a 2D-HD game? Something more expensive? Less expensive? Is Matsuno interested in directing something like that? If not, is anyone else wanting to carry on as a successor?

As for the Advance line I feel like that died with the end of that era of handhelds. So, I don't know. I just think the franchise is in a weird spot. If you release an underwhelming product the existing fanbase of superfans is not going to be pleased. If you release something that lives up to the pedigree it's not clear how high of a sales ceiling you'll be able to capitalize. As a fan I mean I'm obviously here shouting "Shut up and take my money!" if they were to take another crack at it. But if I was a bean counter I think I'd be pretty skeptical about the return on investment. Seems like something that'd be pretty easy to screw up and also not a guarantee for big sales if you pull it off.

 

[TGR Sean]

I don't know. I get it. I mean I think part of the issue is just that the lasting popularity/legacy of the game is carried by a relatively small but very passionate fanbase. Particularly with the original, those who love the game REALLY love it, but it's not clear that it's a very large group. If you were to sit down to really contemplate a genuine Tactics 2 as a stakeholder, I'm not really sure what you'd be shooting for in terms of scope/budget. Is it going to be a 2D-HD game? Something more expensive? Less expensive? Is Matsuno interested in directing something like that? If not, is anyone else wanting to carry on as a successor?

As for the Advance line I feel like that died with the end of that era of handhelds. So, I don't know. I just think the franchise is in a weird spot. If you release an underwhelming product the existing fanbase of superfans is not going to be pleased. If you release something that lives up to the pedigree it's not clear how high of a sales ceiling you'll be able to capitalize. As a fan I mean I'm obviously here shouting "Shut up and take my money!" if they were to take another crack at it. But if I was a bean counter I think I'd be pretty skeptical about the return on investment. Seems like something that'd be pretty easy to screw up and also not a guarantee for big sales if you pull it off.

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They could look at Triangle Strategy as a metric, and that didn't have the Final Fantasy brand attached. Granted I don't know what the budget vs sales looked like.

 

[Lobster Roll]

God I need more Tactics in my life.

 

[Alpheus]

Yea the FFRK Devs hinted at this during JP FFRK's 7th anniversary (8 months prior to Globals' final anniversary) Livestream, this was then repeated when Gumi/Alim had to field questions for their WotV JP Dev Livestream detailing that while they aim to have rerun Collab banners include VA work not included in the initial release of the banners (any units obtained from that prior banner would be automatically updated with VA work), that they'd be unable to do this for the FFT re-run they were announcing/going over, due to again, limited availability with the FFT Devs who sign off on these Collab depictions.

The way FFRK Devs went into it, they have to sign off on ability sets, gear they can equip, which items/gear are to be featured as relics, the name of passives that reference events in their own in-game journey (from their installment proper) and should a script be needed, the characterizations in said script.

Given how Firion has been depicted as having Primary colored weapons in all/most of his Limit breaks both in FFRK's Pixel animation or even Visual Works' CG Limit Breaks in FFBE, I'm pretty sure they even get to dictate terms on CG character depictions when necessary and certain things deemed important by the Devs in question will make it through to the final product.

So in my view and given my understanding of the situation, because FFT was MIA for a long time in FFRK for a good while, I think they've definitely been busy.

Also I do want to note, that the XIV Dev team loans out Devs to handle XI content Development ( on a scale of 2-4 Devs for a few weeks; an arrangement Yoshida signed off on as XI's Dev is under his purview) so I wouldn't be surprised if any XIV Devs are part of the internal FFT Dev group heading up this Ivalice Project. If any former FFT Devs were seen as off limits to be loaned out it would have to be any involved in their flagship upcoming releases like VII:R Rebirth (unlikely) or XVI (more likely as that is headed up by CBU3).

 

[Hikari]

Opera Omnia is a great game.. just saying! But yeah I think we know they are busy because of the nvidia leak yes?

 

[TaleSpun]

Minagawa and ito are still there.

Matsuo/yoshida/sakimoto aren't SE employees anymore but still do plenty of contract work for SE

That's the core team basically

I think the FF16 writer was on the tactics team too

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It's entirely likely 16 is the game he's referring to here, honestly.

 

[Deleted member 27921]

Hell, I'd take some more Final Fantasy Tactics.

I would not enjoy more Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

 

[John Omaha]

It's entirely likely 16 is the game he's referring to here, honestly.

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Why not just refer to the project by name, then? XVI's existence is no longer under NDA.

 

[Ouroboros]

 

[Argentil]

I'll take it. Something to be hopeful about :)

 

[Lobster Roll]

Hell, I'd take some more Final Fantasy Tactics.

I would not enjoy more Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

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Agreed. Two completely & wholly different IPs, in my opinion.

 

[Shadowrun]

Obviously FFT Remaster exists. Hopefully, it is a robust update like Reborn!

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Deep Dungeon Encounters

Tactics Ogre 2: Fat Bottomed Girls

Vagrant Story Gaiden: Wine Collector

 

[Rolento]

Vagrant Story 2 plzz

 

[Chaos Legion]

I'm ready to buy War of the Lions for the third time, lol

 

[Wilsongt]

Probably not FFT.

 

[TaleSpun]

Why not just refer to the project by name, then? XVI's existence is no longer under NDA.

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Because if you do that then it potentially becomes something the XVI team has to answer for later. You wouldn't explicitly shirk the question to the team (or w/e team is being referred to) you feel is too busy to be disturbed in the exact same interview, it's nonsensical. I don't think it's an NDA thing, just being consistent with courtesy.

 

[TGR Sean]

Because if you do that then it potentially becomes something the XVI team has to answer for later. You wouldn't explicitly shirk the question to the team (or w/e team is being referred to) you feel is too busy to be disturbed in the exact same interview, it's nonsensical. I don't think it's an NDA thing, just being consistent with courtesy.

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He calls out Nomura for FF7, though. If the Tactics team was busy with 16 I think he would've just said that. He's already saying they're busy.

I don't think he thinks they'd be disturbed over Opera Omnia characters.

 

[Mory Dunz]

what's the "tactics team"
isn't the mobile game still ongoing

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Because if you do that then it potentially becomes something the XVI team has to answer for later. You wouldn't explicitly shirk the question to the team (or w/e team is being referred to) you feel is too busy to be disturbed in the exact same interview, it's nonsensical. I don't think it's an NDA thing, just being consistent with courtesy.

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I doubt journalists are so easily tricked like that (not mentioning XVI so that they don't go ask them). If they want to ask them later, they will.

 

[Hayeya]

My heart cannot handle a proper FFT remake/remaster.
Even thinking about it makes my adrenaline jumps.

Please be true.

 

[Alpheus]

what's the "tactics team"
isn't the mobile game still ongoing

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Tactics team refers to an internal team that basically has the character/game entry Bible and have to sign off on depictions of characters (basically their character sheets, and if needed script approval as well as sign off on any VA performances and actors) in Collab media. Every FF entry has such stakeholders* within SE. So if one of their mobile games is pushing FFVI characters for example, the VI stakeholders in SE had to sign off on stuff at some point.

The mobile game you're thinking of, War of the Visions, is developed by Alim/Gumi and not by SE directly (they only run Opera Omnia and FF Mobius before it, on their own).

*When possible they try to assign these roles to lead Devs that are still with SE, and by lead Devs I mean lead Devs to the FF entry in question, usually the people SE would tap to shepherd any remasters or remakes as they have experience in making the original assets/script/character designs. No different than how they always tap Uematsu to oversee any arrangements for projects like the Pixel Remasters. Pending availability of course.

 

[Guildenstern]

Whatever game is FFT Remaster or a new game in Ivalice the important thing is that Matsuno is involved.

 

[Youngfossil]

We have enough FFT remakes,

Why are we asking for ANOTHER remake. A sequel or bust

 

[DiipuSurotu]

Whatever game is FFT Remaster or a new game in Ivalice the important thing is that Matsuno is involved.

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To be fair he wasn't involved with War of the Lions and it still turned out okay

 

[Guildenstern]

To be fair he wasn't involved with War of the Lions and it still turned out okay

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You don't want the Delita Path...

 

[DimitriLH]

Awesome, also thank you to the person asking about all those characters in Opera Omnia, I just finally caught up to the end of the story on Global and I can't believe how left out Ramza and Agrias were at the end, this explains why.

 

[Trigger]

We have enough FFT remakes,

Why are we asking for ANOTHER remake. A sequel or bust

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I mean, it was already leaked as being in development. I think most folk are just asking for an official announcement of that.

I agree about wanting a new entry in the series though.

 

[Dreamboum]

holy shit

 

[Falk]

for what it's worth this is also the reason officially given regarding the lack of anything moving FFT-wise in Record keeper for... the last two years or so lmao

none of the cast has DASBs or better, and since then there have been like another 2 tiers of soul breaks

 

[Alpheus]

for what it's worth this is also the reason officially given regarding the lack of anything moving FFT-wise in Record keeper for... the last two years or so lmao

none of the cast has DASBs or better, and since then there have been like another 2 tiers of soul breaks

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lol yea it's kinda funny cuz it's very Ito "Janitor's Closet" vibes. Like they all go into work and see them toiling and when people ask after them they're just like "Yea we all went figure skating and they all just plunged into the icy depths below and haven't been seen since, may I take a message?" as they nervously make 👀 at the marketing assassins waiting to tranq them for going off script.

But this Dev interview makes 3 times that this project has been mentioned. So we might get shown something soon. Especially since all the other leaked nVidia stuff from SE has already shipped or been announced.

 

[FakePlasticTree]

The FF Tactics team seem to be all over Square, some worked on Tactics Ogre, some on FF16, no idea where Hiroyuki Ito is now and some work independent of Square now.

 

[FakePlasticTree]

Whatever game is FFT Remaster or a new game in Ivalice the important thing is that Matsuno is involved.

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And get Joe Reeder, Tom Slattery and or Alex O Smith on the translation.