Younger Generations Are Struggling to Connect with Final Fantasy — Because New Games Take Too Long to Come Out

Naoki Yoshida, known to fans as Yoshi-P and serving as director of Final Fantasy 14, has openly admitted that the franchise’s long development cycles are making it increasingly difficult for new and younger players to get into the series. He shared his thoughts in a video interview tied to the promotion of the spin-off Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, saying that young people simply don’t get the chance to “build a connection” with the franchise the way older fans once did.

I’m 53 years old now, and I’ve been playing the series in real time since the very first Final Fantasy. But for younger generations — those who grew up with action combat and online competitive gameplay — the latest entries in the series may have been harder to connect with. Part of that is because, and I’m sorry to admit this… the gaps between new titles have grown longer, so some players never had the chance to experience the series the way longtime fans did.

His words are backed by concrete examples. Final Fantasy 7 Remake, originally conceived as a single story, was split into three parts: the first released in 2020, the second in 2024, and the third has yet to receive a release date. That means at least six years will pass between the first and final installments — time enough for players’ tastes, income, and free time to shift dramatically.

The main series tells a similar story: Final Fantasy 15 came out in 2016, Final Fantasy 16 in 2023, and there are still no official announcements about a potential Final Fantasy 17. As far back as 2024, Yoshida himself — who served as producer on FF16 — was floating the idea of handing the mainline series off to a younger generation of developers. For now, though, Square Enix remains focused on completing the remake trilogy.

For comparison, Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 all launched between 1997 and 2000 — three major entries in just three years, on the original PlayStation.

📌 What we know about FF7 Remake Part 3 right now:

The main scenario for Part 3 is complete, and development has entered a final phase of refinement and polish. Wikipedia Director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed in January 2026 that the game’s subtitle has finally been decided by creative director Tetsuya Nomura Championat, though it hasn’t been publicly revealed yet. Fan speculation points heavily toward Final Fantasy 7 Return as the likely title.

Square Enix has promised to share more updates on the FF7 Remake Project in 2026 “than ever before,” DTF strongly hinting that a full reveal — title, trailer, and release date — could be imminent. A common fan theory suggests Part 3 could launch in early 2027, coinciding with the original FF7’s 30th anniversary. Championat

Confirmed details about Part 3 include the return of the Highwind airship with true free-flight exploration of Gaia, the return and enhancement of the Queen’s Blood card game, and Rocket Town and Wutai as major locations. Sport-Express The full trilogy, including Part 3, has been confirmed for Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox. Shazoo

The broader irony here is hard to miss: Square Enix is well aware that long release gaps are costing the franchise new fans — yet the very solution to that problem, releasing Part 3, remains years in the making.