Square Enix has established a committee to oversee the quality of the Final Fantasy franchise, the publisher has confirmed to IGN.
A recent report from Japanese fan site FF-Reunion suggested a committee had been put together for the purpose of keeping an eye on the quality of the Final Fantasy franchise, which has seen some tough times in recent years. Among those said to be on the committee are Naoki Yoshida (the former Dragon Quest director and current director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn), Hajime Tabata (director on Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Agito, and, along with Tetsuya Nomura, Final Fantasy XV), Motomu Toriyama (director on Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 who has been involved with the series since Final Fantasy VII), and Yoshinori Kitase (a longtime Final Fantasy producer who was the director on Final Fantasy VII and VIII). Nomura's conspicuous absence is explained as being due to other commitments.
Square Enix's confirmation of the committee's existence didn't extend to the members of the committee itself, instead telling IGN that more information would be available "shortly."
Final Fantasy has, in the minds of many, not been at the top of its game for some time now. A great deal of criticism was leveled at Final Fantasy XIII for being so linear, something Toriyama, the game's director, later admitted "was fair." Final Fantasy XIV, the series' second attempt at an MMORPG, started off poorly enough that its subscription fee was dropped for more than a year. Its relaunch as A Realm Reborn (directed by Yoshida, who replaced FFXIV's original director, Hiromichi Tanaka) turned out much better than its earlier incarnation, but the brand was -- by Square Enix's own admission -- "greatly damaged." And then there is iOS title Final Fantasy: All the Bravest, a title that IGN's review described as having "no gameplay" and being "nothing more than a cash grab."
Nonetheless, the Final Fantasy continues to move ahead. With XIV having officially re-launched this summer, Final Fantasy XV (formerly Final Fantasy Versus XIII) is in the works for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with multiple direct sequels planned for the future. Just what effect this committee has on these games and the franchise as a whole remains to be seen.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/18/square-enix-forms-a-committee-to-oversee-final-fantasy
Hopefully this works....
