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Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida Comments on Difficulties of Remaking Final Fantasy IV, VIII, IX

Final Fantasy XIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida (often referred to as Yoshi-P) commented on the difficulties of remaking Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX during an appearance at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Berlin. In his comments, Yoshida states, “I understand the sentiment, but just think about it for a second. The scale is unreal. That goes for VI, VIII, and IX. “I understand people saying, 'Since 7 got a remake, please remake these too,' but there's a chance they could turn into a four-part or even a five-part series.” Yoshida's comments are available on the Final Fantasy XIV series' YouTube channel.

Yoshi-P's comments came after Final Fantasy VII Remake series director Naoki Hamaguchi was asked about a game that had a lasting impression or influence on him. Hamaguchi notes he has said in interviews Final Fantasy VI is a game that had the biggest impact on his life. However, he further states media outlets have blown his answer out of proportion and claim “Hamaguchi is remaking Final Fantasy VI”, to which the Final Fantasy VII Remake series director always refutes.

The Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in Berlin took place at the Messe Berlin, hub27 between July 25-26. The next Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival is set to take place at the Makuhari Messe on October 31-November 1.

The Fan Fest revealed a collaboration with Final Fantasy VII Remake for its Normal Raids in the "Evercold" expansion for Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG. The event also unveiled the new Tank job "Bastion."

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake, debuted worldwide in February 2024 on two discs for PlayStation 5. The game then launched on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store in January 2025, and then launched for Nintendo Switch 2 on June 3. The final game in the Rebirth trilogy Final Fantasy VII Revelation will launch next spring.

Sources: Final Fantasy XIV series' YouTube channel, Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival's website via Hachima Kikō