FF14 Director Yoshi-P is No Longer on the Square Enix Board of Directors

FF14 Director Yoshi-P is No Longer on the Square Enix Board of Directors



Summary

  • Naoki Yoshida is no longer on Square Enix’s board of directors.
  • Affectionally referred to as ‘Yoshi-P’ by fans, Yoshida is most well known for his work on Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16.
  • Yoshida will remain at the company as an executive officer.

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida is no longer on Square Enix’s board of directors in the company’s latest corporate shake-up. Known affectionately as “Yoshi-P,” Yoshida has had a hand in many recent Final Fantasy projects, most notably the revamped version of Final Fantasy 14 that launched in 2013. He also served as director and producer for many of the MMO’s later expansions and produced 2023’s Final Fantasy 16.

After Final Fantasy 14 became a blockbuster success, Yoshida was placed on Square Enix’s board of directors in 2018. However, this decision might not have been his own, and in 2023, Yoshi P told a Dutch newspaper that he would rather spend his time working on games like Final Fantasy 14 than sit at the head of the company. He reportedly even tried to resign from his position on the board of directors around that time, but was apparently talked out of it.

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Now it seems like Yoshida has finally gotten his wish about two years later, as Automaton reports that he is no longer listed as part of Square Enix’s board of directors as of last week. It isn’t clear if Yoshi-P stepped down of his own volition or was removed from the position as part of Square Enix’s recent corporate reshufflings, but Square Enix confirmed to GamesRadar+ that he will resign from the board after the General Shareholders’ Meeting and the Board of Directors’ Meeting in May.

Yoshi-P Will Stay at Square Enix as an Executive Officer

Yoshida isn’t leaving Square Enix entirely, as he is still listed as the company’s executive officer, a position he has held since 2015. Additionally, Square Enix confirmed that Yoshi-P will join the company’s executive management committee starting on April 1. It isn’t clear how this latest corporate upheaval will affect Final Fantasy 14, which is set to reveal details about a new wave of content on March 14. This will include the upcoming Seekers of Eternity update, which will add new story missions and features like Cosmic Exploration.

Judging from some of his past statements, Yoshida might actually be happy to no longer be on Square Enix’s board of directors, as he will probably have more time to plan his next gaming project. In the past, he has weighed in on the possibility of bringing Final Fantasy 14 to Nintendo consoles, discussed bringing classic Square Enix titles like Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics to new hardware, and even commented on rumors of a Final Fantasy 9 remake that many fans have been hoping for.

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August 27, 2013

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T for Teen – Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

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