http://web.archive.org/web/20000303195500/http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/news/6655.html said:
FF8 Producer Talks FFIX
On the floor of E3, we caught up with Shinji Hashimoto, Square's Senior Vice President of Software Development and Character Licensing, and lead producer for Final Fantasy VIII.
May 17, 1999
Final Fantasy 8 is one of the most anticipated games for 1999, and for good reasons. FFVII was a critical success for Squaresoft because it not only introduced the world outside Japan to the Final Fantasy series, but to Japanese RPGs in general. So what will it take for FF8 to duplicate its success? NGO sat down with FF8 lead producer Shinju Hashimoto to find out.
NGO: Why did you decide to go from the more traditional 'superdeformed' style graphics to a more traditional Western style with FF8? Will this play a role in trying to make FF8 a bigger success in the United States and in Europe?
Hashimoto: First of all, we were able to sell 500,000 copies of Final Fantasy 6 in the U.S., but we sold 2 million plus copies in Japan.
We were trying figure out why we only sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. compared to the 2 million in Japan and we should be able to sell more in the U.S. So we were thinking what we needed to improve to sell more copies in the U.S.
Mr. Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, wanted to do something about it. We thought about it day and night: in FF7 how can we appeal to the world? That was our task.
FF6 was 2-D rather than 3-D, as in FF7, so the characters were more alive and realistic in FF7. Final Fantasy 7's Cloud Strife is a very popular and was so real. We figured if we were able to bring it to this level, then we should be able to do something even better in FF3. FF7 sold 1.6 million copies in the U.S. and 1 million copies in Europe so far. The change from 2-D to 3-D enabled FF7 to generate better sales and we decided this was the way to go, so that's the direction FF8 headed.
NGO: How will Square EA market FF8 in the American Market? Will they show only FMV, game screens, or a combination of both?
Hashimoto: Sony played a big role in marketing FF7 for us. We will be working together with Electronic Arts to market and distribute games in the U.S. and it will enhance our position in the U.S. market. By doing FF8 sales and distribution with EA, it's going to cause "synergy" between Electronic Arts and us. The game will be on display at Sony's booth and this is what I call "enhanced synergy" as it strengthens our position with not only with EA but with Sony as well.
NGO: So the bond between Squaresoft and Sony is stronger than ever?
Hashimoto: That is so true. The bond between Sony and Squaresoft is even more enhanced. An example is in Sony's Playstation booth, where we have all of our products as an independent third party developer, thereby ensuring our relationship between Squaresoft and Sony.
NGO: Is there any chance that Squaresoft will work with Sega or Nintendo or is that completely out of the question.
Hashimoto: In the past, we worked together with Nintendo and our relationship with them was very good. In the future, we wanted to use the system that would serve our purposes best in bringing our storylines to life, and currently that system is Playstation. But in the future, nobody knows, and as the producer, I have to look at the best hardware available at the time to create what it is that we want to create.
NGO: What aspects of FF8 will make it stand out beyond the other Final Fantasy games?
Hashimoto: The Gold Saucer mini-games stood out as the most memorable in FF7. FF8 is more of a human drama, and that is the focus of the game. This, I believe, will appeal to the American and European markets.
When FF7 was released, it wasn't even out that long before people started asking about FF8. What do you think about that?
Just like fans like to speculate about the upcoming Star Wars film, the same thing happens with Final Fantasy! Gamers like to dream and think about what will happen in FFIX and that gives us energy and encourages us to keep striving to do more cutting edge work. All I can say is to keep rooting for us and we'll deliver.
NGO: Speaking of part 9, is it in the works?
Hashimoto: Whether it will be called Final Fantasy 9 or not is not yet decided. At Squaresoft, we are always looking to come up with cutting edge storylines and systems. Whether that new storyline will be called FF9 has not been decided.
NGO: We heard that Sakaguchi called the first game in the series "Final Fantasy" because Squaresoft was in financial troubles in the NES era and it was meant to be his last game. Now that the series has gained worldwide monumental success, what is the reason behind keeping the name "Final Fantasy?" Is it because Squaresoft doesn't feel like changing the name because it is popular with its fans or is it because the title "Final Fantasy" is a prelude to the individual story of each game?
Hashimoto: The fans recognized and accepted the title "Final Fantasy" and we saw no reason to change the title. That is true what Sakaguchi said. Squaresoft was in financial trouble and he said that this was his final game and that if it didn't take off then he would retire from the gaming business; those were his famous last words. And then the game was a big success, as were the sequels. Now, we are going to think in lines of naming the next game Immortal Final Fantasy! (laughs)
NGO: Getting back to FF8, the storyline is based upon love. Now does this mean that the characters will be able to intermingle and date, which will give you multiple endings, or is it set on a path with just one giant ending?
Hashimoto: Oh, you want me to give the story away! (laughs) Well the truth is that the different guys will meet the different girls and a lot of exciting stuff will happen!
NGO: What was the idea behind the Junction and Draw Magic system? The idea behind the Materia in FFVII was innovative but it was taxing building up the magic levels. What are FF8's advantages over past Final Fantasy games?
Hashimoto: The Junction system is something brand new so in the beginning it something that you will have to get used to. So the players can add special abilities to each character to give them varying characteristics. In the past, the abilities of the characters were given through the weapon but now they are a human trait.
As for the draw system, we don't know what kind of magic system the opponent may have. So fighting the opponent will be more fun because you will always wonder what magic you're going to get!
NGO: Regarding Final Fantasy 4, for the Anthology. Why did Squaresoft elect to leave out FF4 in the anthology with FF5 and FF6?
Hashimoto: Right now, it is FF5 and FF6 only. When it comes to first four, they are too old and no English versions are available. But they did release FF4 as FF2 over here…
The true answer is that Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy 4 would cost a lot of money and use up a lot of the production staff. So when we think about doing FF9, we would have all of our people doing FFIV. This is not to say in the future we would not release them, but we are always looking for a new challenge.
NGO: Okay, last question: What is your favorite game in the Final Fantasy series?
Hashimoto: Hmm, tough question and it's the last one! I got involved with FF6 and because I got involved with it first, it is the most memorable. After that, we were separated from Nintendo and we had to work day and night drawing up the concept for FF7. However, though I have to say that FFVII is what we wanted to make a success in Japan and in other markets. So FF7 is memorable as well.
FFVIII will be released in October on the Playstation and during the Christmas season on the PC.
