Final Fantasyas a series has officially sold over 200 million copies of its games. This is a massive achievement for any franchise, and I admit that I’ve definitely contributed to that number as a dedicatedFinal Fantasyplayer. The problem is that the series as a whole is in an interesting position at this time. It used to be a leader and was known for subverting expectations by trying new things, but now that’s no longer the case, since trying new features and other elements is increasingly common, meaning it no longer setsFinal Fantasyapart from other series.
The firstFinal Fantasywas released in 1987, and since then, we’ve had a sprawling list of games added to the series, including spinoffs and even two MMOs. While the games are numbered in sequence, they generally aren’t connected to each other in terms of story, aside from reappearing summons and characters, but some games have gotten sequels or expansions forFFXIVas an MMO. Now, it feels likeFinal Fantasyis playing catch-up with other games as it tries to borrow features we’re used to instead of being the series that defines features to begin with.
Final Fantasy’s Massive Success Was Driven By Originality
A Powerhouse In Gaming’s History
Final Fantasyhassome of the most iconic games in the industry, particularlyFinal Fantasy 7and its remake trilogy, which assert the status of the series as a trailblazer capable of redefining what games can be. One feature that sets the series apart — and did so especially in its early years — is the focus on the characters and stories in each game. Of course, it’s more common for stories to receive a greater focus in modern games, butFinal Fantasyplayed a role in showing how video games can be a storytelling medium.
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EarlyFinal Fantasytitles were also frequently ahead of other games in terms of graphics. It’samazing how good these games look on early systems, and it often felt like the graphics in video games would never be better than what we saw inFF, only for that idea to be proven wrong with the next game in the series. The developers truly pushed the hardware of each system to its limit. NewFinal Fantasygames still look incredible, but the series lost its edge when it comes to graphics because of how advanced technology has become across the industry.
We also saw avariety of combat systems used throughout the series, showing thatFinal Fantasywasn’t afraid of trying new features and changing them up instead of relying on the original turn-based combat that was heavily used in the early games. I can’t say that every combat system the series tried was as fun as the others, but it’s great when a series isn’t afraid of making changes, even if those changes end up not sticking. It helped make each game feel like a fresh experience, because you didn’t always know what to expect.
Recent Final Fantasy Games Have Borrowed More Than Invented
The Series Is Lagging Behind
Now, we’re at a point where you see mechanics and features used in games outside theFinal Fantasyseries, and then see a variation of it adjusted for anFFgame and included. The series embraced a modernopen-world map inFinal Fantasy 15after open-world games soared in popularity. After franchises likeDevil May Cryrefined a particular brand of stylized action combat,FF16eventually embraced something similar. Themost unique game in a while was likelyFF7 Remake, which relies heavily on a past project.
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This isn’t an inherently bad strategy for a series to take. It could be beneficial to see what works in other games, then try it in a way that fits with what the developers' current project needs to feel like a whole, smooth experience. However, it’s not great for a series that was known for being original andunafraid to try new approaches to game designto now become a follower of new gaming trends instead. The problem is that the image of the franchise is that of a trailblazer, so when it’s not trailblazing, it’s rather disappointing.
The Future Of Final Fantasy Depends On Trailblazing
Final Fantasy Needs To Return To Its Roots
Like many franchises have been doing, it might be time forFinal Fantasytoreturn to its roots in order to move forwardas a juggernaut of the gaming industry. In some ways, content is becoming stale, and that’s going to impact the series as a whole. TheFF7remake trilogy is likely doing a lot of work for the company, considering how much anticipation surrounded the project, but another great source of income for the series is in trouble, as players express that they just aren’t thrilled with the state of the game. This is, of course,FFXIV.
Similar to much of the series overall,FFXIVupdates have fallen into a patternthat content follows in a way that doesn’t always fit the story. Since it’s marketed as a story-first MMO, the pattern becoming stale even with new updates isn’t a good sign. However, having a game with a monthly subscription and a real-money item shop is agreat way to maintain a steady income for the series, which could be reinvested into new projects, and that might be a way to encourage teams to try new things again and return to being a series that’s a trailblazer.
It’s difficult in the current market to take the risks needed to be a trailblazer in the game industry.
The problem is that newFFgames and the ongoing MMOFFXIVaren’t in a position to fund projects that aren’t playing it at least a little bit safe when it comes to game design to try and make a project. It’s difficult to tell what the best path forward is for the series aside from more remakes of fan-favorite games from the series' past. That approachoffers some measure of creativitywhen it comes to new mechanics and features, but plays it safe by using beloved worlds and characters.
Even though it could take years, do you want a Final Fantasy 6 remake?
The FInal Fantasy series is one of my favorites. Something about them will always bring me back to my childhood. Final Fantasy 6 is one that I have played over and over, up until the Final Fantasy 7 remake came out. Yoshinori Kitase has said that if Square Enix were to remake Final Fantasy 6 with the same amount of love and detail, it could take twenty years, which is not surprising to me at all given the story. I would absolutely play it twenty years from now. I can only imagine how beautiful it would look and how much justice it would do the story. That said, I do love revisiting FF6 in its original form now and then, even if my kids make fun of me for the way the graphics look.
Selling 200 million copies across the franchise is a milestone worth celebrating, but it also raises the question of where Final Fantasy goes from here. We don’t see as much innovation in the series, even though that was once a hallmark of these games, but it’s difficult in the current market to take the risks needed to be a trailblazer in the game industry. At the least, I hope that the developers and directors listen to players as they look toward the next milestone forFinal Fantasy, whatever that milestone might be.
