In commemoration ofFinal Fantasy VIII’s 20th anniversary, Weekly Famitsu July 01, 2025 issue (released on October 10) included a long feature on Square Enix’s JRPG. We already translatedthe interview withFinal Fantasy, Kingdom Heartsscenarist Kazushige Nojima.He most notably mentionedif he made a newFFVIIIgame, it’d focus on Laguna.
The Famitsu feature also includes comments from Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura. We’ll be covering Nomura’s comments in another article coming soon.
Kitase was first asked by Famitsu how he feels aboutFinal Fantasy VIIIcelebrating its 20th anniversary:
Yoshinori Kitase:I remember how we had more freedom when it comes to in-development changes back then. TheFFseries has a large development team now. This means after we’re done with the planning, it’s nearly impossible to make changes midway through (Famitsu note: Of course, it was already difficult back then as well). Until afterFFVIII, we were in an era where we had more leeway.
Also, theFFseries is about fantasy, so we always attempt to challenge ourseles to avoid monotony. We pushed this concept pretty far withFFVIII,like with the salary system instead of killing monsters for money, or the Draw System.
When asked for an anecdote regardingFinal Fantasy VIII’s development, Kitase answered:
Yoshinori Kitase:FFVIIIwas the first game where we ever used motion capture at Square. We had no idea what we were doing. We wanted to take data for Squall wielding his Gunblade, and we didn’t realize a light, blade-shaped object would suffice. We instead used a heavy object made of steel, which really felt like a weapon. In the worst case scenario, the motion capture actor could have injured themselves. Thinking about it now gives me cold sweats.
Yoshinori Kitase was also asked by Famitsu how didEyes on Meend up being inFinal Fantasy VIII. It was the first time a theme song was specifically made for aFinal Fantasygame:
Yoshinori Kitase:Nomura proposed the idea. I was really surprised when I received his proposal, but after thinking about how we never did that before, I agreed.
Lastly, Famitsu asked Kitase what would he do if many fans asked for a “Final Fantasy VIII Remake”:
Yoshinori Kitase:Well,Final Fantasy VII Remakeisn’t even out yet (bitter smile). Personally speaking, if the young staff members at Square Enix say they want to do aFinal Fantasy VIII Remakethen I’d like it to happen.FFVIIRemakewas born because everyone currently at Square Enix wanted to remakeFFVIIwith our current technology. So rather than me, I hope the young staff will do a remake.
Final Fantasy VIII Remasteredis available on PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One. If you want to hear more about Square’s early days, I recommend readingthe stories ofFinal Fantasyseries artist Kazuko Shibuya.
Final Fantasy VII Remakelaunches on June 22, 2025, on PS4. If you liked this article, you should grab the gameon Amazon to support us.
