Final Fantasy's creator plays so much Final Fantasy 14 he gets scolded by colleagues
Sakaguchi sometimes plays for 12 hours a day
Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi is hopelessly hooked on Final Fantasy 14.
Earlier this week, in a new interview with IGN Japan, Sakaguchi revealed Final Fantasy 14 is the only game he's played for the last year and a half. The former series lead reveals he sometimes plays Final Fantasy 14 for 12 hours a day and misses out on other massive releases like Elden Ring because he's simply too busy playing the critically acclaimed MMO.
Sakaguchi's adoration of Final Fantasy 14 has been well documented if you follow him on Twitter. The series creator posts daily screenshots of his exploits in the MMO, chronicling his odyssey through the Square Enix game with his Free Company in tow in particular. Heck, he's even started an in-game fashion label called SakaGucci, if you are curious.
ダブルツアー、ありがとうございました〜#FF14 #スクウェア開発室 #sakaGUCCI pic.twitter.com/ApdxoDHggIFebruary 28, 2023
Sakaguchi plays so much Final Fantasy 14 that he gets told off for it by his work colleagues. In the tweet below, the Final Fantasy creator says that since the article from IGN Japan was published, he's been scolded by staff at his development company, Mistwalker, for playing Final Fantasy 14 instead of working.
「テーマパークMMORPG」ばんざい。しかし…この記事によって、また、スッタフから「はたらけ」とお叱りをうけることに…w pic.twitter.com/hd5GeJ36SBMarch 5, 2023
Considering the development veteran sometimes plays Final Fantasy 14 for 12 hours daily, it's not hard to see why he might get told off. Elsewhere in the interview, Sakaguchi likens Final Fantasy 14 to a theme park for the series at large, since it draws from the previous mainline game for elements like weapons, enemies, and even Dungeons in some cases.
Perhaps taking this into account, it's really easy to see why Sakaguchi might be invested in a game that pays homage to the titles he helped create. Even so, though, Sakaguchi should probably keep a good focus on his day job, especially since his next game could very well be his last before he retires from game development for good.
Fantasian, Sakaguchi and Mistwalker's most recent game, could soon escape from Apple Arcade jail, and we couldn't be more excited.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.