The Producer of Final Fantasy XVI doesn’t like the term ‘JRPG’
In a recent media blitz in Japan, a number of journalists were given the opportunity to see an exclusive presentation on the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI as well as a hands-on session that gave an idea of how the game would play and what steps Square Enix were taking to balance pleasing older and newer fans of the series. The previews have mostly gone over very well- with those who were invited praising the combat, spectacle, and intriguing story as an evolution of the series that doesn't feel like it betrays its roots. As part of the previews, journalists were given the opportunity to interview high-ranking members of the development team- including translation and animation specialists
Undoubtedly the biggest (and most recognizable) name that journalists were given the opportunity to speak to was Naoki Yoshida, who is the producer of the project. Yoshida (commonly known as Yoshi-P in the community) has gained popularity for his handling of Final Fantasy XIV- with many attributing the popularity of the MMORPG to him. Alongside interesting questions about the state of the Final Fantasy series and the insistence that there would be absolutely no delays on the June 22nd release date (unless, as stated by YoshiP, a meteor was to strike the offices), there was an interesting question about JRPGs that seemed to offend the producer.
The question was posed by the fantastic YouTuber Skill-Up, who asked Yoshi P about the current state of JRPGs compared to western RPGs. In response, the producer made it clear on his stance on the term JRPG- with his translator offering the following response
"The thing that he wants to get across is that when we are creating games, at least with our team, we don't go into them thinking that we're going to be creating JRPGs, we just go into them thinking we're going to create JRPGs.
Apparently, the first time that Japanese developers heard the term 'JRPG’ back in the early 1990s, it seemed more of a discriminatory term rather than simply a way of distinguishing western from eastern RPGs. Yoshi-P stated that, while he understands that the term now has more positive connotations, the term is still viewed in a more negative light by a lot of Japanese developers. He also described that this was seen as an underhanded insult to the work and innovations that developers in the east have put into making more modern games in the genre.
To Yoshi-P, the term was far too constricting to what a JRPG is- and it makes little sense to restrict so many games made by Eastern developers into an outdated, constrictive box that limits their perception by gamers. If you weren't a fan of the old 1980s classic JRPGs, you may never want to try more modern games in the genre, despite the two being almost entirely different. Yoshi-P seems to really dislike the term as a result.
As summarized by Skill-Up in his preview video (see above), it is very interesting to see one of the most famous and popular Japanese RPG developers from Square Enix- the kings of the so-called JRPG' be so wary of the term. For many in the west, the term is simply a way for gamers to describe the type of game, much like MMORPG and ARPG are used to describe online and action spins on the genre. It’s quite enlightening, then! to see how Japanese developers view the term in such a different light.
Regardless of where you lie on arguments. Yoshi-P makes some good points on how different types of games are compartmentalized and put into neat boxes without recognizing what makes them unique. For more on the subject, I'd advise you to watch Skill-Up's full preview- as it also contains some pretty compelling news on the latest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, if that's something you're interested in (which it definitely should be).
