Naoki Yoshida

Final Fantasy 16 was one of our favourite games of 2023, and so we wanted to find out more about The Rising Tide — the title's second and final expansion — ahead of its release on the 18th April. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to land an interview with Takeo Kujiraoka — the veteran Square Enix dev who's actually the director of Final Fantasy 16's DLC, having previously been a lead combat designer for the base game.

Last week, Square Enix unveiled the official PC benchmark and accompanying trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV expansion, Dawntrail. The trailer gave fans glimpses of new in-game areas, enemies, and combat upgrades. While that all went over rather well, the game's decade-old character creation engine is drawing ire this time and the eyes of character models, in particular.

While Square Enix recently released the benchmark tool for the upcoming Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, producer and director Naoki Yoshida has taken to a blog post on the game’s official website to reveal that the software will be getting a new version to improve what has been described by players as the “lifeless eyes” of characters.

Last week, Square Enix revealed the benchmark trailer for Final Fantasy 14’s upcoming expansion, Dawntrail. While Dawntrail’s showcase of new in-game areas, enemies, and combat garnered positive feedback online, the lifeless eyes of its character creator left a lot to be desired, fans said. In response to the negative feedback, Director Naoki Yoshida has promised a graphical update that will fix its character creator’s soulless eyes.

A massive 2.8GB patch for Final Fantasy XVI is now available to download on PlayStation 5. This comes before the game’s next DLC, The Rising Tide, arrives on April 18.

Final Fantasy 16 has succeeded in attracting a younger audience to the series, according to DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka.

In a new chat with Push Square, Final Fantasy XVI DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka had some happy news to share about the newest mainline installment in the long-running franchise. Although XVI struck many as a divergence from typical Final Fantasy games of the past, the gamble seems to have paid off, as last year’s title managed to bring in tons of new, young fans.

Final Fantasy 16 successfully expanded the audience of the series, though future games won't necessarily take a similar direction.

Square Enix has released a benchmark tool for Final Fantasy 14 ahead of its upcoming Dawntrail expansion.

Following the launch of the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail benchmark, some players discovered an Easter egg that changes the default benchmark character to Hildibrand or Brandihild, depending on which PC time settings were changed. Final Fantasy 14 players shared the Easter egg on social media and discussed the methods that caused either character to appear.

Ben Starr, the voice actor of Final Fantasy 16's Clive Rosfield, has joined fans in calling for a brand-new entry in the Final Fantasy Tactics spin-off subseries. The first Final Fantasy Tactics game was first released in 1997 for the PS1 as a tactical RPG spin-off to the mainline games. The original game got plenty of critical acclaim and would become one of the franchise's most well-regarded spin-offs, which eventually created a mini-franchise. While the series hasn't had a new title since the 2007 remake of the first game on PSP, there are still a number of fans who are hoping the series will make a comeback one day, with Ben Starr being one of them.

Ben Starr, who plays Clive in Final Fantasy 16, has joined fans in calling for another Final Fantasy Tactics game. Speaking with TheGamer at the BAFTA Games Awards this week, Starr says that the Tactics games are "iconic", and that it's "absolutely time" for another sequel.

Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 14 boss Naoki Yoshida has told The Gamer that he reckons “It’s probably about time,” for a new Final Fantasy Tactics game.

Time for another sorry week of heaving news-fuel into the Maw's thousand-and-one gullets and urgh, what's that brooding stench? It reeks of embargoes in here. The air is foul with it. This week is the week of the inaugural Triple-I Initiative showcase, aka the IIIIs, aka a 45-minute dollop of trailers and announcements from such studios as Slay The Spire creators MegaCrit and Darkest Dungeon developers Red Hook. We know of a couple of the announcements in advance; others, we'll learn about alongside you on 10th April.

It is no exaggeration to say that Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the most successful spin-offs in the long history of Square Enix's IP.

A potential remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics has been in the rumour mill for several years at this point, and even though official word on whether or not it exists remains elusive, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida – who’s also the director and producer of Final Fantasy 14 – has indicated that he, at the very least, is personally interested in seeing Final Fantasy Tactics be brought back.

Final Fantasy director Naoki Yoshida - better known among fans as Yoshi-P - says it's "probably about time" for another Final Fantasy Tactics game.

Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has appointed several new executive officers, including Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi.

It’s been a huge 12 months for Final Fantasy, and Square Enix is seemingly just getting warmed up. Following on from the reveal of Final Fantasy 16 add-on The Rising Tide earlier this weekend, the publisher has now confirmed MMO expansion Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail will deploy on 2nd July. This all follows the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth last month, of course.

Days after revealing the release date of the Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail expansion, Square Enix confirmed that fans can expect to hear more news about it during the next Letter from the Producer LIVE event on April 12 and 13. The upcoming Final Fantasy 14 broadcast is expected to touch upon Dawntrail news that was not covered at the March 23 PAX East panel.

Final Fantasy 16's producer Naoki Yoshida has offered some insight into the game's PC performance benchmark.

Just as pre-orders for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail went live in North America, the Square Enix Store experienced technical issues due to the mass user traffic. At the time of writing, Final Fantasy 14 posted on social media that the storefront's developers were aware of the issue and suggested some temporary workarounds as the investigations continued.

Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida has shared much news at PAX East. To begin with, during the panel held last Friday, we learned a lot about the upcoming Rising Tide DLC, which drops on April 18 for PlayStation 5 and adds a new area, ally, and the Leviathan Eikon.

's second and most expansive DLC release,, finally has an official release date. This DLC, which is more story-focused than, aims to tackle one of 's biggest mysteries. Set sometime during the base game's story, it'll take 's protagonists to a new region of Valisthea, where they'll hunt down the lost Eikon Leviathan and likely uncover some ancient secrets along the way. The DLC will color in some gaps in the base game's lore, and meaningfully expand on Clive, Jill, and Joshua's story.

While may still only be available for PlayStation 5 at the time of writing, according to producer Naoki Yoshida the game could land up on other consoles after it launches on PC. Square Enix's exclusivity deal with Sony has long frustrated fans who may have elected to settle down with Xbox hardware but based on current developments, Microsoft's console may soon be home to some of the most recent entries in the franchise. The word's still on the Remake Trilogy, but the story could be very different for the sixteenth game.

Final Fantasy 16 could make the jump to other platforms once it launches on PC, at least according to some of the game’s developers. The latest mainline Final Fantasy game launched exclusively on the PlayStation 5 last June, but Square Enix has promised a PC port at a later date. So far, there is no official word on when the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 will be released, but producer Naoki Yoshida recently told fans that it is in the end stages of development and a playable demo should be forthcoming.

could be on its way to Xbox consoles, based on a comment from producer Naoki Yoshida. While a PC port is already in development, this is the first hint of the 2023 action RPG coming to other consoles.

Final Fantasy 14 Online’s next expansion, the summer-vacation adventure Dawntrail, will officially launch on July 2, producer and director Naoki Yoshida announced Sunday. Early access to Dawntrail will go live on June 28, for players who have pre-ordered the expansion.

It’s been close to a year since Final Fantasy 16’s release, but fans of the action RPG continue to have plenty to look forward to. After its second (and likely final) expansion, The Rising Tide, releases next month, Square Enix’s attention will then turn fully to the PC port, which is currently in the final stages of optimization– and it seems that an Xbox Series X/S release will be next up after that.

As fans wait patiently for some kind of update regarding the long-rumored remake, director Naoki Yoshida may have just let the cat out of the bag. Widely revered as one of the best entries in the sprawling series, the success of the Remake Trilogy spurred hopes that Square Enix would treat the cult classic to a similar makeover. While nothing's been confirmed just yet, recent comments from one of the franchise's most prominent leaders suggest the community may soon receive some exciting news.

Final Fantasy XVI won't take much longer to release on PC, according to what the game's producer said in a new interview.

Final Fantasy 14 Online's Dawntrailexpansion finally has a release date, and it'll be welcome news for those looking forward to a certain highly-anticipated From Software DLC.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is nearly a month old now, which means series fans are already beginning to turn their attention to the FF7 Remake trilogy’s final instalment– but Square Enix seemingly has plenty of other Final Fantasy throwbacks in the works as well, if reports are to be believed. One of them is allegedly a remake of Final Fantasy 9, and Naoki Yoshida – producer and director of Final Fantasy 14 – recently seemingly dropped some teases for the rumoured remake.

Final Fantasy 16’s PC port has been in the works for a while, with producer Naoki Yoshida confirming earlier this month that it was in the final stages of optimization. And though a specific release date for the port has yet to be unveiled, in a recent interview with Famitsu, Yoshida provided further details on what to expect.

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida has said that the reason for many references to Final Fantasy 9 in the upcoming expansion is a “secret”.

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida has joked that he will give players one week to finish Elden Ring‘s upcoming DLC before Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail is released.

Yesterday, Square Enix announced the final release date for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, the latest expansion coming to its popular MMORPG. Dawntrail will go live on July 2 on all platforms. Funnily enough, Game Director Naoki Yoshida said it could have launched sooner, but they wanted to give players (and themselves) a bit more space to play Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which launches on June 21.

Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki Yoshida confirmed during a PAX East 2024 panel that its upcoming crossover quest with Final Fantasy 16 starts on April 2nd. It will be available until May 8th.

At a PAX East 2024 Panel, Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki Yoshida confirmed that the MMO’s next expansion, Dawntrail, would launch on July 2nd for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Those who pre-order get early access and can start playing on June 28th at 2 AM PT.

On the main stage of PAX East, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida revealed that the Dawntrail expansion will launch on July 2, with early access starting a few days prior, on June 28. Yoshida also confirmed that pre-orders for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail will begin on March 26, granting players early access to the expansion.

The Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail expansion will launch on July 2, Square Enix announced. Pre-orders will begin on March 26 and include three days of early access to the expansion on June 28, among other bonuses.

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida and senior translator Michael-Christopher Koji Fox dropped several new details for The Rising Tide DLC. It’s out on April 18th for PS5, but that’s not the only content that Final Fantasy 16 fans can look forward to. The Final Fantasy 14 x Final Fantasy 16 crossover quest also goes live early next month.

Square Enix has dated Final Fantasy 16’s The Rising Tide expansion.

To start the second day of PAX East 2024, the Final Fantasy 16 development team revealed that the game's second expansion, The Rising Tide, will launch on Thursday, April 18. The expansion will launch along with a free update for Final Fantasy 16, including some adjustments and a new battle mode for players to try out.

At a recent PAX East panel, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida and DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka offered a new look at the action RPG’s upcoming second paid DLC, The Rising Tide, along with confirming an April release date. Check out its newest trailer below.

Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide is going to be the action RPG’s final piece of post-launch content (probably), so appropriately enough, in addition to adding plenty of new story content, a new area to explore, a new Eikon to defeat in battle, and more, it’s also going to add new endgame content for players to dive into.

Final Fantasy 16: The Rising Tide will be adding everything from a new explorable location to a challenging new endgame activity, but it’s fair to say that the DLC’s biggest highlight is going to be its boss fight against Leviathan. As part of a recent panel at PAX East, producer Naoki Yoshida and DLC director Takeo Kujiraoka revealed more details on what to expect from that particular set piece.

With Final Fantasy 14 gearing up to release Dawntrail in the summer, some datamining of Patch 6.58 uncovered two items that may be associated with preorders of the anticipated expansion. The Final Fantasy 14 items in question, Azeyma's Earrings, and the Wind-Up Zidane minion were listed as items added to the game with the latest content update.

The Xbox Series X/S version of Final Fantasy 14 will introduce an Xbox-only currency this week.

Final Fantasy 14 is experimenting with cross-region Data Centre travel for the first time in the MMO's history as its upcoming expansion, Dawntrail, looms.

Final Fantasy 14 doesn’t have any plans to add a free story skip to the game any time soon for fear of ruining the experience. A free story skip may not happen now, but the ever-growing length of the Final Fantasy 14 Main Scenario means it could end up happening eventually.

Content in Final Fantasy XIV is seemingly endless. The MMO includes something for everyone, whether you’re a more casual, story-based player or someone eager to find glory by challenging legendarily difficult Extreme Trials. While this balance has always seemed to strike a sweet spot with Warriors of Light, XIV‘s director Naoki Yoshida believes the title’s lack of overall challenge leaves much to be desired.

Final Fantasy14's director and producer Naoki Yoshida thinks the development team may have made the game too «stress-free» for players.

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida has said the massively multiplayer online game has become too relaxed in the last few years, so he and developer Square Enix are looking to increase the difficulty going forward.

Final Fantasy 16's producer Naoki Yoshida has said that he would like to direct another major title for the series if the opportunity were offered to him.

The PC port of Final Fantasy 16 is in the “final stages of optimisation”, producer Naoki Yoshida has revealed, with a PC demo also in the works. The game is currently a PlayStation 5 exclusive.

Final Fantasy 16's PC port is now in the «final stages of optimization», but doesn't have a release date just yet.

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida, often referred to as Yoshi-P, says he regrets making the long-running MMO as stress-free as it is.

In a recent interview, Final Fantasy 14 producer and director Naoki Yoshida expressed his intent to make the critically acclaimed MMORPG more challenging in the future but stopped short of saying what he would exactly do. While Final Fantasy 14 developed a reputation as a stress-free experience during Endwalker, Yoshida stated that he and the developers had gone a bit far in that regard, and wanted to dial it back.

Square Enix has provided an update on the PC version of Final Fantasy 16.

The PC version of Final Fantasy 16 is in the «final stages of optimisation», producer Naoki Yoshida has said.

While we’re yet to get a hard release date for Final Fantasy 16 on PC, it sounds like it won’t be too far off. That’s going by recent comments by producer Naoki Yoshida, who also suggested we can expect a demo before it’s out - which should also be a good chance to test your rig against its apparently hefty hardware requirements.

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida gave fans waiting for the game's PC port some good news, as he stated in an interview that the port is in the «final optimization stages» of development. Yoshida also stated that the PC version of Final Fantasy 16 may release a demo before launch, but did not disclose exact dates for the demo or the game.

The PC port of Final Fantasy 16 is in the “final stages of optimisation”, producer Naoki Yoshida has revealed, with a PC demo also in the works. The game is currently a PlayStation 5 exclusive.

The PC version of Final Fantasy XVI is currently in the “final stages of optimization,” according to producer Naoki Yoshida. A demo is planned before release for users to determine whether the game can run on their PC.

If you are a PC player impatiently waiting for Final Fantasy 16 to come to your platform of choice, you won't have to wait much longer, it seems. Producer Naoki Yoshida says that it is in the "final stages of optimization," meaning that it might not be too far away.

We’ve known since before Final Fantasy XVI was released that it would eventually be coming to PC, but Square Enix has remained rather cagey about when PS5 exclusivity might end. Well, in a new interview with Game Informer, FF16 producer Naoki Yoshida gave his most direct answer yet about the PC port of the game, indicating it may not be far off.

While an exact date for the much-anticipated PC release of Final Fantasy XVI hasn’t been announced just yet, the development team has provided a positive update in a new interview with Game Informer.

Bringing the once-doomed MMO Final Fantasy XIV back to life and directing the latest mainline title of the long-running franchise isn’t enough for Square Enix superstar Naoki Yoshida. In a new interview with Famitsu, Yoshida chatted at length about his desire to direct yet another major game for Square Enix.

Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit 3 is gearing up for the launch of Final Fantasy 16’s next paid DLC, The Rising Tide, this Spring. However, it’s also working on the PC version. A release date hasn’t been announced, but producer Naoki Yoshida revealed to Game Informer that it’s in the “final stages of optimization.”

Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida has addressed whether he'll direct another game following the massive MMO, and it sounds like he's keen to.

The first of Final Fantasy 16’s two expansions, Echoes of the Fallen, launched in December, but ever since they were announced, the one that fans have really had their eye on is The Rising Tide, the second expansion, which will see players finally battling against the Eikon Leviathan, who was notably missing in the base game’s story.

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida has said that, while there is the possibility of more DLC being made for the game, players shouldn’t expect more any time soon. Final Fantasy 16 is currently gearing up for the release of its second DLC, The Rising Tide. When asked if Square Enix was interested in releasing more DLC for the title, Yoshida, while not definitively shutting down the possibility, did say that it’s unlikely.

Final Fantasy 14 recently confirmed it would be changing how Relic weapons are obtained in Dawntrail. After a controversially simple series of quests in Endwalker, Final Fantasy 14 fans can expect the Dawntrail Relics to be harder to obtain.

In the coming days, Final Fantasy 14 will host the annual Little Ladies' Day and Hatching-Tide holidays as a special, combined event for players to participate in. Though March will be a busy time for Final Fantasy 14 players, those who complete a limited-time quest as part of these holidays will receive a new mount for their effort.

Final Fantasy14's massive graphical overhaul isn't simply to bring in new players, says game director and producer Naoki Yoshida.

Final Fantasy 14's producer and director, Naoki Yoshida, has explained three reasons for the game's upcoming graphical update, assuring players that the popular MMO is here to stay. With the new Dawntrail expansion on the horizon, exciting things are coming to Final Fantasy 14, including an exciting graphical overhaul of the game.

Final Fantasy 14’s upcoming graphics update is one of the, if not the, most anticipated changes taking place in when Dawntrail launches this summer, if not either of the new classes or newly-playable female Hrothgar. Thankfully, it seems the feeling of relief will be mutual between both players and its developers responsible for the game’s already-beloved visuals. 

In December last year, Square Enix announced two expansions for Final Fantasy 16, with the first, Echoes of the Fallen being shadow-dropped at the time, and the second, The Rising Tide, set for a Spring 2024 launch, and with Spring not too far away now, new details on the latter are set to be shared next month.

Square Enix announced that the second DLC for Final Fantasy XVI, The Rising Tide, will be unveiled at a PAX East 2024 panel scheduled to take place at the Albatross Theatre on Friday, March 22, at 8:30 AM Pacific Time or 11:30 AM Eastern Time. Producer Naoki Yoshida, DLC Director Takeo Kujiraoka, and Localization Director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox will be on stage to talk about The Rising Tide. The panel will also be streamed on the official Twitch channel of the convention, allowing everyone to check it out comfortably from home.