Final Fantasy Team Open to American Developers Taking Over the Series

The Final Fantasy franchise needs a bit of a spark. There are still plenty of fans willing to follow the legendary RPG series to the edge of the Earth and back, but the magic that once made each and every numbered release an event just isn’t there anymore. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 will continue the story of the likeable heroine early next year, but game director Motomu Toriyama and gameplay director Yuji Abe recently spoke to OXM about the possibility of a massive flip of the script.

"Obviously, Square Enix bought out Eidos a number of years ago, and now we have direct access to American development teams," Abe said. "That's certainly been discussed within the company, the possibility of say, Eidos or maybe someone else to look after or maybe take on the Final Fantasy series.

"And we obviously haven't decided anything concrete, but if we find the right team of developers, the right people who really wanted to do it, and we had the right game, then yes, certainly we'd think about it."

With Final Fantasy 15 currently in production for next-generation consoles, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a new game in this series emerge from the West anytime soon. However, it’s a development worth watching, as a shift this major in one of gaming’s biggest franchises could lead to a whole new era of the Final Fantasy brand.