Final Fantasy 14director Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida has been inexplicably left off a list of directors at Square Enix, prompting questions about his role at the company after recent management changes.Yoshida has largely been credited withFinal Fantasy 14’s revival, having taken over as the game’s director following the disastrous launch of the original version back in 2010. He’s remained the game’s director ever since, taking the helm through countless updates and five successful expansions,including the most recent,Dawntrail. Yoshida was promoted to the Square Enix board of directors in 2018, but may have left that position.
A recent report by Square Enix, first spotted byAutomaton, listed Naoki Yoshida not as a director, but as a chief executiveon the Executive Management Committee at the company, a potential demotion from his former position. Still listed as directors are Yoshinori Kitase (director ofFinal Fantasy 6andChrono Trigger) and Yu Miyake (composer for games likeKatamari Damacy,Tekken, andRidge Racer).
Naoki Yoshida Is No Longer Listed As A Director At Square Enix
What That Means For Yoshida & Square
It’s unclear what the change actually means for Yoshida, or for Square Enix as a whole.It does come shortly after Square’s president and CEO, Takashi Kiryu, announced a round of internal restructuring, appointing a new management committee and executive officers. However, it’s worth noting that Yoshida is still listed as a member of the board of directors on the officialSquare Enixwebsite, although that could just be a case of an out-of-date webpage.
The restructuring may have a lot to do withfinancial woes at Square Enix. It recently reported that two of its biggest major releases -Final Fantasy 16andFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth- fell short of sales expectations. The document cites “changes to both the entertainment business and the Company’s business environment” as the purpose for the restructuring - but admittedly, that could mean anything.
Yoshi-P Allegedly Never Wanted To Be On The Square Enix Director’s Board
“It’s Much More Fun Just To Make Games”
However,it’s likely that this change in Yoshida’s position was voluntary. He’s always expressed reluctance about his position on the board of directors, and, according to a 2023 report byDot Esports, has previously attempted to step down from the position, saying, “I don’t want to be on the board, it’s much more fun to just make games.” His request was denied then, but it’s quite possible that Square Enix finally let him voluntarily step down.
If making games is all Yoshida wants to do, he’s certainly proven he’s capable. Besides taking the reins ofFF14, he also directed the franchise’smost recent mainline entry,Final Fantasy 16. Though it was divisive (and whatFinal Fantasygame isn’t?), it’s clear Square has a lot of confidence in Yoshida to spearhead the franchise’s future. He certainly hasn’t left Square Enix for one reason or another, and there’s no reason to believe he’s stopped work onFinal Fantasy 14- it seems like it’s just his more inward-facing responsibilities that have changed.
