According to the producer in an interview, ”Losing your fans’ trust is very easy thing to do. Regaining it is very hard. 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.”
However, Yoshida is focused on the here-and-now. ”In the 25-year history of the Final Fantasy series, there hasn’t been a Final Fantasy that has failed,” he said. ”We can’t - we just can’t - let this game end in failure.” He says the original fans were let down, and Square has to show them they’re still behind the project. “It’s kind of a crazy idea, but we’ve got to do it.”
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will be released later this year. It remains to be seen if the fans will be there.
