1Truth2Lies 6 Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) This is a thread I originally created on the GameFAQs PS4 Message Board in April 2014. As of posting it there, many people that frequent that board have begun to believe that FFXVI is currently being made by Ito. Therefore, I'm posting the thread here to share my findings with more people. For the FF fans hoping that Hiroyuki Ito (FFVI, FFIX, FFXII Director) will direct FFXVI for release on PS4/Xbox One, this thread is for you. Bare in mind this is all speculation based off corroborated evidence, nothing more. That said, if FFXVI becomes a reality on PS4/Xbox One, we therefore won't be stuck with the "A World of the Versus Epic" by Tetsuya Nomura and Hajime Tabata for the whole of current-gen, much like we were stuck with the "Lightning Saga" by Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama for the whole of last-gen. Also, please be aware that this will be my first and only version of this thread. I'll not be adding any more evidence to the list of points. Why? I feel there's more than enough corroborated info provided that indicates that Ito is secretly working on FFXVI. Adding more points to this list would just be beating a dead horse, IMO. All that needs to be done now is wait for the game's official announcement by Square Enix. For those that don't know Hiroyuki Ito and his past contributions to the FF series, visit his FF Wiki page: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Hiroyuki_Ito With all that said, let's move on to the corroborated points of evidence. :smile: -------------------------------------------------- November 2011 1. Yoshinori Kitase (FFX, FFXIII Producer) said that we may get FFXV and FFXVI in the near future. Bare in mind that this was after VersusXIII had been internally renamed FFXV (an event which happened in January 2011) and before FFXIII-2 was even released, meaning it was before LR FFXIII had even started development. Therefore, FFXVI was already being made by another team before Kitase/Toriyama had even finished the Lightning Saga. Source: "If we look at the entire history of the franchise - now we have 14, and maybe 15 and 16 in the near future - there have been Final Fantasy titles that have been extremely popular and some that people liked less. "But the beauty of the franchise is that we establish a new universe and new concepts every time with the numbered titles. Even if any particular game turns out to be a flop, the next one we can start afresh, we can reset and move on. It's going to be okay." http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-16-final-fantasy-13-2-preview -------------------------------------------------- February 2012 2. Hironobu Sakaguchi (Creator of FF) told me face-to-face while he was in London to promote The Last Story, he believes Hiroyuki Ito can make FF a leading and respected RPG series again. Source: This information was said to me in person. -------------------------------------------------- March 2012 3. Shinichi Tatsuke (Producer within Square Enix Mobile Division), said that Hiroyuki Ito only provided the original concept for the iOS/Android game Guardian Cross, meaning Ito was not a member of the actual development team. If Ito wasn't part of the development team, what game has he been working on hands-on all these years? After all, his last hands-on project was FFXII IZJS, which released back in August 2007. Source: プロデューサー・田付氏からのメッセージソーシャルゲームのシンプルなところにファミコンゲームの面影を感じ、『ファイナルファンタジー』をファミコンから制作してきた伊藤が、ソーシャルの原案 を考えたらおもしろいのではないかと思ったのが制作のきっかけでした。最初は別のゲームのバトルを依頼したのですが、一週間後に「残念ながらバトルはでき なかったけど、新しい企画が1本できちゃった」と言われ、「それで十分です！」ということに（笑）。新しい遊びをたくさん入れているので、ソーシャルゲー ムに飽きてきたという方にぜひプレイしてほしいです。 http://app.famitsu.com/20120329_47667/ -------------------------------------------------- July 2012 4. Yoichi Wada (President of Square Enix) never debunked the rumor that Hiroyuki Ito was secretly directing FFXV and it would evolve off FFXII and have an Open World that would surpass Skyrim in both world scale and volume of gameplay content. Despite the rumor blowing up on 2ch and various Japanese gaming blogs, Wada never debunked it. However, two days later, he used Twitter to publicly debunk the rumor that FF VersusXIII had been cancelled. This was a rumor that had only shown up on 2ch earlier that same day, yet he debunked it within a few hours. Why didn't he debunk the rumor about Ito? There must have been some truth to it. Source: Two sources. 1) The 2ch thread with the rumor of Ito secretly directing FFXV (Thread posted on July 21 and active until July 30): http://anago.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ghard/1342860369/ 2) Wada's tweet debunking the rumor that FF VersusXIII had been cancelled (Tweeted on July 23): https://twitter.com/yoichiw/status/227628674780909568 -------------------------------------------------- August 2012 5. Naoki Yoshida (FFXIV Producer/Director) said that Hiroyuki Ito was not working on FFXIV: A Realm Reborn. However, he wouldn't disclose what game Ito was working on. The fact disclosing information on what Ito is currently doing is under NDA must indicate he is working on a very important game for the company. Source: https://twitter.com/APZonerunner/status/238359219076734977 6. Naoki Yoshida said that FFXIV ARR is the starting point of regaining people's trust in the FF franchise. He added it will make people excited to see what will be in store for them in FFXV and FFXVI. The fact he actually said "FFXV or FFXVI" must mean that both FFXV and FFXVI are currently in development and will release not that far apart from each other. Source: "Losing your fans' trust is very easy thing to do. Regaining it is very hard," Yoshida said. "We believe Final Fantasy 14 is a starting point, and that players joining us will think 'oh wow, this is great, I'll see what they can do with Final Fantasy 15 or 16'. "Over a long time we'll try and regain their trust, but it is something we as a company must put effort into, long-term." http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-08-17-regaining-fans-trust-in-final-fantasy-will-take-a-long-time-ff14-producer-says -------------------------------------------------- September 2012 7. Hiroyuki Ito said that current-gen hardware (PS3/Xbox 360) was too weak to handle his gameplay ideas. The reason was due to him being held back by insufficient RAM and CPU power. However, he added that hardware was getting closer to where he can do exactly what he wants to do. Considering that Square Enix already had PS4 and Xbox One development kits at the time of this interview, but both console weren't yet publically announced by Sony and Microsoft, Ito was likely alluding to the next-gen hardware. Source: "First of all, I feel like the "optimal" ATB has yet to come. I think it's the advance of hardware, and stuff like memory within that... I always had to be concerned about things like that initially, when I started doing this kind of thing. It's getting closer and closer to the optimum level where I can do exactly what I want to. It's getting there, but we're not actually there yet." http://www.1up.com/features/final-fantasy-hiroyuki-ito-science -------------------------------------------------- February 2013 8. Naoki Yoshida said that back in December 2010, when he became Producer/Director of FFXV 1.0, many other staff were brought in from other projects. He added that Hiroshi Minagawa (Tactics Ogre PSP Director) is multi-tasking FFXIV ARR with another big project. Minagawa is not working on LR FFXIII or FFXV, so what other big project is he also working on? Bare in mind that Minagawa was the Director of FFXII alongside Hiroyuki Ito. Source: Skip to 4:37 on the timer. -------------------------------------------------- May 2013 9. I asked Toshiyuki Itahana (FFIX Character Designer) via Twitter if Hiroyuki Ito will direct another mainline FF, as FFIX and FFXII are my favorite in the series. He replied saying that he also respects Ito as an amazing game creator, and that I should please look forward to Ito's next game. Basically, Itahana indirectly said that Ito's got another mainline FF in the pipeline and I should look forward to when it's announced. Source: https://twitter.com/itabee/status/331777078380883969 10. Nobuo Uematsu (Composer of FF series) told me face-to-face while he was in London for a Final Fantasy concert by the London Symphony Orchestra, he can guarantee that Hiroyuki Ito will direct another FF game. When I probed further and asked if Ito will direct either FFXV or FFXVI, he laughed and replied that his answer would get him in trouble with Square Enix. Source: This information was said to me in person. -------------------------------------------------- June 2013 11. FFXV was announced at E3 2013. Seeing as the game was originally announced as FF VersusXIII at E3 2006, which was 7 years ago, the game that was originally supposed to be FFXV must have therefore been renamed FFXVI and pushed back in order to be given more development time. 12. Shinji Hashimoto (FF Brand Director) said during a Q&A after Square Enix's E3 2013 press conference, FFXV being an Action RPG will not alter the direction of the FF series. FFXV is a standalone title, with a real-time battle system being ideal for what it wants to achieve. He added that the next mainline Final Fantasy (FFXVI) could return to using something similar to the Active Time Battle (ATB) system. Source: Skip to 10:16 on the timer. http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/qiqmcn/final-fantasy-xv-e3-2013--q---a-part-1 -------------------------------------------------- July 2013 13. Shinji Hashimoto said that Hiroyuki ito has been planning and proposing ideas for a new project. He added that Ito is putting a lot of depth into the gameplay systems and mechanics. As a result, development of this project would take some time. Source: You're a very unique journalist, asking about Ito-san! Yeah. He's still at Square Enix. He's been planning and doing some proposals for a new project at the moment, so... Really, he's the kind of guy that wants to challenge new things all the time, so, yeah. At the moment, he's doing... [laughs] He's putting some ideas together. Like you say, he's very talented and very involved. He's very, very in-depth... he likes the depth of the gameplay systems side of things. He really loves to go really deep on mechanics and things, and that takes time. I'm very excited to see his ideas soon! http://www.rpgsite.net/interview/3144-talking-talent-western-development-and-sequels-with-final-fantasy-producer-shinji-hashimoto -------------------------------------------------- September 2013 14. Shinji Hashimoto told me face-to-face while he was in London for the European launch of KH I.5 HD ReMIX, the reason Hiroyuki Ito hasn't worked on any current-gen (PS3/360) FF games is because he's been busy planning his own project. When I asked when his project will be announced, he replied saying that Ito's adding a lot of depth to the gameplay systems and mechanics. As a result, the announcement of this project will take some time. Source: This information was said to me in person. 15. I asked Yasumi Matsuno (FFT, Vagrant Story Director) via Twitter if he would write the scenario for FFXVI as a freelancer if Hiroyuki Ito was the director. He replied saying he unfortunately had "certain reservations" about answering the question. In other words, the answer to the question was in NDA territory. Source: https://twitter.com/YasumiMatsuno/status/374329899332292608 16. Around 2 weeks after Yasumi Matsuno responded to my tweet, he announced at TGS 2013 that he was working on two new games with Playdek. However, he added that he will not be directing either of the games. The reason he gave is because he's also got other projects going for other companies, some of which have assigned a large amount of work for him to do. Source: This time, I’m not the director myself. I’m more of a story writer. The direction is handled by Joel and his company. So I’m the original writer of the story here. I’m working on more than one project at this time, so I can’t really be the full-time director of this project. I’ll be involved, but in much less of a capacity than with some other projects. I’ll ask Joel to make a decision and he’ll give me his feedback. http://www.usgamer.net/articles/tgs-yasumi-matsunos-new-world -------------------------------------------------- November 2013 17. The website for Agni's Philosophy was updated. The update added an employment page that listed various vacant positions on the Luminous Studio team. It also included a page with comments by the current Luminous Studio staff. These comments included hints that another FF besides FFXV is already in production using the engine. Source: http://www.agnisphilosophy.com/en/career/getech/staff.html -------------------------------------------------- February 2014 18. Naoki Yoshida said that he's sure there will be a FFXV and FFXVI, and therefore he will constantly try to bring in fresh, new material for FFXIV ARR. The fact he said he's sure there will be a FFXV, even though it had already been officially announced, makes it appear like he was indirectly stating that FFXVI is also already in development. Source: "I'm sure there will be a Final Fantasy 15 and 16, but we will constantly try to bring in fresh, new material for Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn." http://www.polygon.com/2014/2/13/5405344/final-fantasy-14s-playstation-4-launch-is-just-the-start-for-naoki 19. Yoshinori Kitase said that the technical specs of PS4/One will allow battles in FFXVI to have many more participants involved; there will be more characters for the player to control and more enemies to defeat. He added that the Gambit system, which Hiroyuki Ito created for FFXII, may return and be used to help the player control all the party members available. Considering that only Ito knows how to properly evolve the Gambit system seeing as he created it, Kitase is basically indicating that Ito will be involved in FFXVI. Source: "We are quite aware of [PS4 & Xbox One's] capabilities and certainly one thing that's going to come up is having battles with a lot more participants involved. Having a lot more characters, a lot more things happening, that's one of the things that the new hardware does really well, so to maybe make a battle system for a Final Fantasy game or a future game that fits with that, I think it would be quite good to have more characters for the player to control and more participants in the battle." "In a way there is stuff from the past that we've done in previous Final Fantasies that may come in handy, that we may adapt or reuse or recreate for a future [title]," "In the first two of the XIII series you had the Paradigm Shift system with AI controlled teammates which lends itself very well to having lots of characters. Or maybe having even deeper customisation, something that harks back to say the Gambit System in Final Fantasy XII. All those kind of ideas, it doesn't necessarily [mean] that something that we've used before is now invalid and can't be used, there's certainly a possibility of taking it and bringing it back. But I think it's going to be those kind of changes that the technology allows that we're going to have to maybe think and adapt for." http://www.videogamer.com/ps4/final_fantasy_15/news/final_fantasy_15_quite_far_into_development_given_high_priority_by_square.html 20. Yoshinori Kitase told me face-to-face while he was in London for the European launch of LR FFXIII, the reason Hiroyuki Ito has not worked on the FFXIII trilogy, FFXIV ARR, and the forthcoming FFXV, is because he has his own development team at Square Enix and is busy leading his own project. Source: This information was said to me in person. 21. When asked about a potential FFXII HD Remaster, Yoshinori Kitase confirmed the FFXII team, which is headed by Hiroyuki Ito, is still intact within Square Enix. Seeing as this team hasn't released a AAA game since FFXII International Zodiac Job System in 2007, it's safe to assume they're secretly developing FFXVI for PS4/One. Source: Meanwhile, as Final Fantasy 10 and 10-2 are getting the HD remake treatment, some have wondered whether Final Fantasy 12 is next in-line for a fresh coat of paint. "I haven't heard there is a plan," Kitase said of the potential project. "It depends on the team who created 12. If they think it's a good idea they might opt for it." http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-17-a-chat-about-that-final-fantasy-7-remake 22. Yoshinori Kitase stated that FFXVI will not be for Smartphones or Tablets. The reason is because Square Enix always expects mainline FF games to be very high-end, top quality products, as it's the flagship global IP of the company. Source: How far can that reactive, market-led process lead Square Enix? We know the company is evolving to keep up with the growing free-to-play and mobile markets, so is something like a free-to-play Final Fantasy 16, or a mobile Final Fantasy 16 a possibility? "Well, obviously anything's possible," Kitase said, before quickly distinguishing the idea. "I think with the Final Fantasy numbered titles, we always expect them to be very high-end, top quality set of art and graphics, high definition. After all, Final Fantasy is a flagship IP of Square Enix. So for the main Final Fantasy games, that's less likely." http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/17/square-enix-producer-kitase-on-lightning-returns-reviews-hd-rem/ 23. Hiroyuki Ito did his first public interview since FFXII IZJS released in 2007. The interview was about his thoughts on the PS4 hardware, which was launching in Japan the following day. Ito said that the aspect of the PS4 he's mostly interested in is how it can connect to the PS Vita and provide a second screen for the player. He said the HDTV screen acts like a football stadium and is what everyone in the audience can see, while the PS Vita screen is seen only by the coach and is the means by which he gives orders to his team. Source: 対戦相手などに知られたくない情報やメソッドをセカンドスクリーンであるPS Vita側が担えば、ファーストスクリーンとなる大画面をスタジアム化することができる。スタジアム化というのは第三者である観客がいるということ。サッ カーに例えるなら監督やコーチはPS VitaでありPS4はPS Vitaから指令を受け取った選手達とピッチ、そして第三者はそれを観戦するサポーター達となる。実際の競技場ではなく劇場等で開催できるコンパクトさも あるし、これはもうプロスポーツとして成立するのではないだろうか。 http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/807/807374/ -------------------------------------------------- June 2014 24. At E3 2014, Yoichi Wada demonstrated a tech demo showing off an Open World and said it was 17 times the size of Skyrim. The fact Skyrim was mentioned by name and the Open World was said to be 17 times larger than it is very, very interesting. Why is it so interesting? Go back and read point 4 in this list. You'll begin to see why Wada never debunked that rumor about Ito directing an Open World FFXV. There really was some truth to it. Source: In a demo and question-and-answer session mostly restricted to developers and potential publishing partners, Square Enix showed off the latest iteration of their Project Flare cloud gaming technology. Originally revealed last November, Project Flare aims to use supercomputers as servers to deliver gaming experiences that wouldn't be possible on most regular PCs or consoles. Square's November demo focused on physics, but its new demo for E3 was all about sheer geographical scale. In a demo that I was repeatedly told was "not representative of a final product," Square showed off a massive forested world that could be explored quickly from a bird's eye view or at a slower pace from the perspective of a cute creature. Square said the full world map was 32 kilometers by 32 kilometers -- 17 times the size of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by the company's estimates. But what's truly impressive is not just the size; it's that none of the world was being instanced or streamed in by the computer. It was all fully rendered in full detail across the entirety of the giant world. That includes over 600,000 trees, hundreds of packs of creatures, hills, mountains and more. http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/13/5795778/project-flare-square-enix-e3-skyrim ====================================================================== The End Thanks for reading and I hope you found the above informative. As you can see, there's more than enough info out there that not only reveals that FFXVI is already in full swing, but also that Ito is the very likely one helming it. :smile: Edited July 4, 2014 by 1Truth2Lies 4 Percseus, littleTSUBAME, Setrex and 1 other reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Setrex 1,031 Posted July 3, 2014 Thanks for all the interesting points! Really nice thread I've always speculated that Ito was working on Final Fantasy XVI and I figured that it must have been a no-brainer but man all these hints in the past make it seem so obvious. Of course though we need to get Final Fantasy XV on the shelves before we can even begin to get excited for XVI but I'm really looking forward to see what Ito has up his sleeves for the future 1 1Truth2Lies reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2,990 Posted July 3, 2014 Holy crap, you're thorough. I freaking loved both IX and XII. This makes me excited. 1 1Truth2Lies reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1Truth2Lies 6 Posted July 3, 2014 (edited) Thanks for all the interesting points! Really nice thread I've always speculated that Ito was working on Final Fantasy XVI and I figured that it must have been a no-brainer but man all these hints in the past make it seem so obvious. Of course though we need to get Final Fantasy XV on the shelves before we can even begin to get excited for XVI but I'm really looking forward to see what Ito has up his sleeves for the future No problem, bro. :wink: I added one last point to the list, BTW. It's about Yoichi Wada showing off a tech demo at E3 2014 of an Open World that's 17 times larger than Skyrim. It really makes sense that Ito is currently helming FFXVI. After all, he's still on the company payroll, yet hasn't done any major work since FFXII IZJS released in August 2007. The obvious situation is that he's been slaving away on FFXVI since then. I'm sure the game was originally supposed to be called FFXV before VersusXIII got renamed, too. The way I see it, FFXVI will have the longest development time in FF history. However, I'm sure it will live up to the FF name because Ito is directing. Holy crap, you're thorough. I freaking loved both IX and XII. This makes me excited. Yes, FFXII is my fave game in the mainline series. I'm really hoping that Ito makes the FFXVI game design evolve off it. Something like a gameplay mix of FFXII and Xenoblade Chronicles X would be amazing! :biggrin: Edited July 3, 2014 by 1Truth2Lies 1 Setrex reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sora96 17,256 Posted July 4, 2014 I saw this ages ago on VGChartz and according to the replies the topic creator was always going on about it. Lol. You could also make a similar article about Toriyama and Kitase doing X-3 next. I would love to see Ito direct and produce XVI while Toriayama directs and Kitase produces X-3. Ito's roles since FFIV's 3D remake: Producer for Crawlian, a 2009 browser-based game. Released in 2009. Original Concept for Guardian Cross, a game for iOS and Android. Released in 2012. Battle Design for Deadman's Cross, also for iOS and Android. Released in 2014. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1Truth2Lies 6 Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) I saw this ages ago on VGChartz and according to the replies the topic creator was always going on about it. Lol. You could also make a similar article about Toriyama and Kitase doing X-3 next. I would love to see Ito direct and produce XVI while Toriayama directs and Kitase produces X-3. Ito's roles since FFIV's 3D remake: Producer for Crawlian, a 2009 browser-based game. Released in 2009. Original Concept for Guardian Cross, a game for iOS and Android. Released in 2012. Battle Design for Deadman's Cross, also for iOS and Android. Released in 2014. The version posted on VGChartz is outdated and didn't even provide quotes and sources. This version has the latest info and also provides quotes and sources. I think people said I was always going on about it because I constantly made new versions of the thread with added points. You couldn't make the same article about Kitase/Toriyama making FFX-3 because there's barely any evidence for it. Further still, Kitase even stated the game wasn't in development in a Famitsu interview not too long ago. With regards to Ito secretly making FFXVI behind the scenes, there's far more evidence that points to this being the case, as the points in the OP prove. Also, as you can see by Ito's credits since FFIV DS released in 2007, he hasn't worked on a FF game since. That makes it obvious that he's been busy with a big project, which is likely FFXVI. After all, during the 5 years that he was directing FFXII, he never worked on any other FF game. Edited July 4, 2014 by 1Truth2Lies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sora96 17,256 Posted July 4, 2014 The version posted on VGChartz is outdated and didn't even provide quotes and sources. This version has the latest info and also provides quotes and sources. I think people said I was always going on about it because I constantly made new versions of the thread with added points. You couldn't make the same article about Kitase/Toriyama making FFX-3 because there's barely any evidence for it. Further still, Kitase even stated the game wasn't in development in a Famitsu interview not too long ago. With regards to Ito secretly making FFXVI behind the scenes, there's far more evidence that points to this being the case, as the points in the OP prove. Also, as you can see by Ito's credits since FFIV DS released in 2007, he hasn't worked on a FF game since. That makes it obvious that he's been busy with a big project, which is likely FFXVI. After all, during the 5 years that he was directing FFXII, he never worked on any other FF game. There would be barley any evidence because if they're making it they'd probably only just be starting this year after just finishing the XIII trilogy and X/X-2 HD Remaster at the end of 2013. I'm not arguing that Ito isn't directing or producing XVI, in fact I've believed before that he might be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1Truth2Lies 6 Posted July 4, 2014 (edited) There would be barley any evidence because if they're making it they'd probably only just be starting this year after just finishing the XIII trilogy and X/X-2 HD Remaster at the end of 2013. I'm not arguing that Ito isn't directing or producing XVI, in fact I've believed before that he might be. If there's barely any evidence for FFX-3, how could you make a article like this about it? LOL! Besides, I've already told you that Kitase outright stated that they're not making a FFX-3. Therefore, thinking the game exists means you have to believe that Kitase is telling a lie. That's not evidence, but instead making conspiracy theories. I'm not saying you're arguing against Ito making FFXVI. I'm sure you already believed it, as you were already speculating on why he has been quiet on the FF front since FFXII released. I merely made this thread to provide yourself and others with some evidence to support your belief. That way, it's not just wishful thinking. The more people that want Ito on FFXVI, the better. :smile: Edited July 4, 2014 by 1Truth2Lies 1 Setrex reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shulk 8,623 Posted July 5, 2014 I'd get excited since he made FFVI, but... I've pretty much lost hope in FF. : Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
