Yoshi-P has become fortright about why Final Fantasy isn’t connecting with younger gamers – and there’s data that proves his point.
He said this in a recent Square Enix promotional video for mobile game Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy:
But for younger generations – people who grew up naturally accustomed to action-based combat and online competitive play – the recent entries in the series may have been harder to engage with.
Part of that is simply because I’m sorry to say . . . the release intervals for new titles have gotten longer, so some players haven’t really had the chance to connect with the series the way older fans did.
Reacting to this story, Mat Piscatella of Circana shared this insight:
According to Circana’s PlayerPulse, 62% of US players of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth were aged 35 or older. That number goes to 77% if you go 30+.
It’s good that Square Enix management know this problem exists and are now making changes in the company. They’ve already shifted from Sony exclusivity to a multi-platform strategy.
Hopefully they can get their affairs in order and find ways to introduce Final Fantasy to new generations properly.