In the video game industry, many people stick around with the company they’re attached to for quite a while for multiple reasons. They might just like the company they work at. Or, they might be trying to gain “higher ranks” there. Another reason might be they know that their talents or ideas might be more appreciated at that particular company because they’ve worked there for so long. But, on the other side of things, people sometimes depart gaming companies somewhat randomly, including because they want to “move on to a new challenge,” which is what the creator of Final Fantasy did after a while at Square before it became Square Enix.
Hironobu Sakaguchi made the now eternally beloved RPG franchise his “last chance,” or his literal “final” chance, to make a “fantasy” game that would be a hit in the gaming space. It worked, and he continued on the franchise until the 8th mainline entry, where he departed the company. One of his proteges was Yoshinori Kitase, who started out in smaller roles on the franchise before becoming the director for three straight mainline games. When Sakaguchi left, Kitase almost went with him, but he decided to stick around. On the “My Perfect Console” podcast, he explained what those reasons for staying around were:
“Around that time, around the year 2000, that was when we were planning many Final Fantasy mainline titles ahead: 10, 11, 12 and so on. These were all currently being planned and in discussion. And with Sakaguchi-san being this mentor, someone I had worked alongside and grown with from within the company, of course it was a very somber time for me to experience his leaving.”
For him, it was the question of “legacy” that he was still trying to impart to the company:
“While Sakaguchi-san, I believe, was this creator who had established this history for himself, and had worked on these various projects throughout his legacy and time here, I was still feeling as though I was still forming my vision, and still working towards that, so that was one of the reasons I felt like staying.”
The second reason is that he wanted to stay on the off chance that Sakaguchi returned to Square Enix for whatever reason. Kitase wanted to keep his franchise alive so that the option of returning would be easier. Ironically, via one of the mobile titles of the series, Sakaguchi did return and did a special crossover with some characters that he made for his new studio.
A true full-circle moment.
