Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi doesn't care if you call the upcoming sequel a JRPG, but he also hasn't limited the game to any one genre.
Speaking to TheGamer, Hamaguchi said he's pretty indifferent about how people label Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, even if he doesn't agree.
"I don't think I have a strong opinion either way," Hamaguchi said. "Certainly from the perspective of a creator and what I’m making. I'm definitely looking at the world globally in terms of who I'm aiming my games at and who I'm making them for. In that sense, I'm not really trying to hold back and stay within the limits of 'this is a JRPG, I'm making a JRPG' and whatever that means."
Hamaguchi's comments contrast starkly with what Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida, AKA Yoshi-P, had to say about the term JRPG almost a year ago, calling it "discriminatory." Yoshi-P's words prompted a lively debate online about what exactly defines a JRPG as well as this incredibly well-researched piece from GamesRadar's Dustin Bailey about the origins of the genre and why it's so hard to nail down a reliable set of descriptors.
More recently, in September, the interminable JRPG debate was reignited when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth creative director Tetsuya Nomura and producer Yoshinori Kitase chimed in with opposing opinions.
Thankfully, Hamaguchi just doesn't give a damn. Call Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth whatever you want; call it a Frappuccino; it's not going to change the type of game he's making.
"It's not how I approach games, but if the game comes out and the world calls what I've made a JRPG, that's clearly what the world thinks, and I'll be okay with that," he added. "But I certainly don't try to limit myself to that or whatever it may mean, I'm making the game I want to make."
Of course, by the most commonly accepted metrics, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is indeed a JRPG, much more-so than last year's Final Fantasy 16, which went in a decidedly action-RPG direction. That said, there may just be a shelf date on the term JRPG after all, with some of its own progenitors publicly denouncing it, although there's little doubt the style and traits we know today as defining JRPGs will live on in AAA and indie games.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on PS5 February 29 and there's a demo you can play today.
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