Final Fantasy Tactics Director Admits He Underestimated Demand For Remaster

No matter what level of video game developer you are, wanting your game to sell well is an obvious desire. How well it NEEDS to sell, though, has often been a debate amongst developers and publishers, with gamers sometimes bearing the brunt of their “expectations,” for better and for worse. In the case of Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles, this was a remaster that many had asked for over the years. Square Enix finally gave them what they wanted, including adding voice acting and loads of new dialogue, while also ensuring that the beloved campaign and gameplay were as good as they were originally.

However, if you asked a certain director about the game’s “expectations,” he would’ve told you that it wouldn’t have been too much. In fact, Yasumi Matsuno felt that the game might sell a million units in a few YEARS, let alone in a few months. So, imagine his surprise when he learned that the latter options happened:

Yes, yes you did! Then, to celebrate the milestone, Square Enix dropped a press release that GamesRadar+ did well to translate, and the new game’s director, Kazutoyo Maehiro, said the following:

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart! Truly, thank you so much! The entire development team is not only grateful to you, but, in order to spread the joy, create a better experience, and encourage more people to play, we are looking at updating the game in the future!”

That’s a big deal, as there was some content from the original title that was left out of the remaster, and so, it’s possible that some free content or DLC might be coming to Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles. You’ll definitely want to stay tuned for that!

Branching out a bit, you may wonder why the OG director thought the game wouldn’t sell well. Part of it may be because the game has always had a “cult classic” status, despite it being one of the best-received games in the entire franchise. The other element might be that the title never really got to continue what it did, with other franchises and spin-offs doing their thing based on what the original team did.

Square Enix should take note of its success, especially when you add on the success of its other turn-based strategy games recently, as it proves that gamers do indeed want games of this nature, especially when they’re made with true care.