Final Fantasy VII Remake Producer Shares it’s Important to Not be a “Yes-Man” to Nomura

During CEDEC+ Kyushu 2020 Online, Final Fantasy VII Remake producer Yoshinori Kitase and Co-Director Naoki Hamaguchi give an interview about the game’s development and possibly what fans can expect from Part 2 of the adventure.

In the interview, with translation assistance from @aitaikimochi, Kitase-san mentioned that the project began because the Hamaguchi-san always wanted to make a game like Advent Children. When the first trailer was shown, he suspected people thought it was another movie, but the Meteor logo at the end probably caused some fans to “lose their mind” when they learned it was a game.

When it came to developing the game, the interviewer asked the Kitase-san if he had any know-how used to create Final Fantasy VII Remake. Kitase-san responded that it was a two-fold answer:

1. Have great programmers.
2. Have a good communication balance with Director Nomura and the Co-Directors Hamaguchi [and Toriyama]. Don’t be a Yes-Man to Nomura.

Nomura-san was the director of Final Fantasy VII: Adventure Children and leads the development of the Kingdom Hearts series. The creator’s imaginative narratives may have been the driving force of some of the new story beats found within Final Fantasy VII Remake, but who knows what the game could have become if Kitase-san allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

When Hamaguchi-san joined the development team, he asked Kitase-san and Nomura-san what kind of game they wanted to make: Kitase-san wanted a game that used Advent Children graphics, and Nomura-san wanted a story-driven game.

Hamaguchi-san also mentioned that they had to organize the developers and appoint staff as managers of their own teams. There were assets created by third-party companies, and Hamaguchi had to oversee those teams. He mentions that Nomura-san was very particular with the portrayal of characters. All story ideas had to be approved by Nomura to be sure they fit his vision of the game.

Not much was said about Part 2, but they did say the game will allow players to experience the rest of the world. Still, Kitase-sen is looking to surprise players of the original. The translator also mentions that Kitase-san spoke cryptically about the sequel for fans to “divert from what we expect, but in a good way.” (期待と原作 いい意味で裏切る)

More Final Fantasy VII Remake news will be delivered on February 13, with some expecting a PlayStation 5 announcement.

In case you missed it, check out our review of Final Fantasy VII Remake or even the official size of Tifa’s breasts.