Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii and Final Fantasy father Hironobu Sakaguchi are undoubtedly two JRPG legends, so it should make everyone’s days better to learn that neither famed developer has plans to stop any time soon.
To promote Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake and Sakaguchi’s Fantasian: Neo Dimension – both released this year and both published by Square Enix – the two genre heavyweights sat down to talk about their games, their influences, the little details that really make them pop, and what lies ahead with Famitsu.
“Like Mr Sakaguchi, I think I’ll continue to make games for a long time,” Hori says in the interview, translated with machine learning. “I’ve never thought about retirement. After all, I’ll always to be a game designer.” Yuji Horii has been the main designer and scenario writer for the widely influential turn-based series since its inception back in 1986, and he’s only set to continue with the upcoming Dragon Quest 12, a sequel that’s planning to revamp combat and have a much darker tone than the series’ usual sometimes camp chirpiness.
Sakaguchi also chimed in on what’s next, though he isn’t tied to a single franchise as closely as Horii is. After stewarding the Final Fantasy series for more than 10 games, Sakaguchi left to open his own studio called Mistwalker, where he put out cult classics like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, before eventually reuniting with his old friends at Square Enix for Fantasian: New Dimension.
“There are many things that I can’t talk about, but I’m working on a new project,” Sakaguchi says, likely referring to his unannounced dark fantasy game that’s in development with iconic composer Nobuo Uematsu on board. “I can’t tell you what exactly I’m working on, but it’s been about a year since I wrote the script, so I’m in a situation where I think I’ll be able to get to a good point in about two years.”
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