RandomNPC – Video Game RPG Reviews, Editorials, and Features

Final Fantasy XIV‘s replacement director, Naoki Yoshida, recently sat down for an interview with 4Gamer.net.  Topics ranged from prior MMO experiences to key goals with FFXIV, and some of the more interesting snippets are bulleted below:

• As a player, Yoshida got into online gaming starting with Diablo.  From there he eventually moved to Ultima Online, Unreal Tournament, and back to Diablo II when the Lord of Destruction expansion came out.  Dark Age of Camelot also ate a huge chunk of his time, alongside Everquest and World of Warcraft.
• Yoshida signed on with Square Enix in 2004, with Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road as his first credited appearance with the company.
• In terms of development, Yoshida likened MMOs to theme parks, specifically in how distinguishing content is established after the fundamentals are in place.  He referenced Disneyland as an example, citing how it crafted its own identity by building a consistent theme through more attractions: Cinderella’s Castle, Toontown, etc.
• Related to the previous bullet, a functional economy is considered critical to MMO development.  Yoshida stressed the importance of getting FFXIV‘s economy in working order, and that without it players will lack incentives to keep playing.
• He understands that a quick fix is unlikely, but aims to improve the game over time and maintain back-and-forth communication with players.

The interview, in Japanese, can be read in full here.

Translation: Adrienne “Sicondera” Beck