Wark Digest #34 - From the Creators
Nojima Responds to Harassing Fans
Final Fantasy VII Remake scenario writer and series veteran Kazushige Nojima spoke out about some harassment he's received from over-zealous fans recently.
Why it matters:
Nojima has worked on the series since Final Fantasy VII, where he co-wrote the scenario with Yoshinori Kitase; since then, he's had a hand in most main series games and several spin-offs, and wrote the companion novels for FFVII
Recently he had received some, shall we say, "overzealous" tweets regarding how certain relationships should be handled in future installments of the remakes—bordering on harassment
Rather than pull off the platform altogether, Nojima declared he will no longer be sharing any information about any of his projects past, present, or future, and will stick to personal content about hobbies (such as his guinea pigs)
What we thought:
I'm reminded of Naoki Yoshida's recent comments about how fans should be more mindful when communicating with staff about their games—there's a human being at the other end of the screen, after all
This sort of entitled attitude is not exclusive to Final Fantasy or any other property these days, and is all too common online, but it is disappointing to see it happen in this space, to a storied creator no less
It's an unfortunate side effect of social media that while creators are more accessible to us, they're also vulnerable to this kind of negativity
What's next: Did you know Nojima wrote the lyrics for "Liberi Fatali," "Suteki Da Ne," and "1000 Words"? Also, if you're a big reader and/or a big fan of FFVII, you should definitely check out his light novel Final Fantasy VII: On The Way To A Smile, which has an excellent English translation.
Amano and Ishii Talk Early Squaresoft
The "WE ARE VANA'DIEL" campaign for Final Fantasy XI's upcoming anniversary is still going strong. This week part one of an interesting interview with Yoshitaka Amano and Koichi Ishii was published, sharing more insight behind the early days of Square.
What they said:
Ishii was a planner on the original Final Fantasy and one of the first staff members assigned—and it was him who brought Amano to Sakaguchi's attention
Ishi had found Amano's work on the cover of Michael Moorcock's The Elric Saga books and thought he would be perfect to illustrate his vision for Final Fantasy
Amano: "Back then, most people’s perception of games were [Pong] or invader games, and very few of them had actual stories or music. Although I personally enjoyed playing games, I’d never imagined they’d become a part of my career and was very surprised when I first heard their proposal. [...] For me at the time, fantasy was the theme I wanted to draw the most. I honestly didn't know much about video games, but I wanted to try any job that led to fantasy."
Ishii: "When the time came for the team to convene, there were only about four of us! Then Mr. Sakaguchi proclaimed, 'Our team is going to make an RPG like Dragon Quest! Ishii, you come up with a plan!' and suddenly thrust me into a planning role. But after that, Mr. Sakaguchi and the others became busy with developing Highway Star and almost completely abandoned us. (laughs)"
Why it matters:
We've been getting plenty of tidbits about the earliest days of the franchise recently, but few are as candid as Ishii's comments—like how he showed Amano's art to Sakaguchi and got no response, only to have Sakaguchi do the same to him days later, and suggest Amano for the project
We thought we had a pretty full picture of the scenario, but each anecdote adds a little more character to the story
It's refreshing to see older creators opening up and sharing these tales, and we'd love to see more about other games as well
What's next: Part two of the interview will follow next week, discussing their involvement on Final Fantasy XI.
Sakaguchi, the Fashion Icon?
Speaking of Sakaguchi, the father of Final Fantasy is still playing Final Fantasy XIV, and if you're lucky you just might be able to get some clothing made by his in-game persona.
Why it matters:
Sakaguchi has hit level 90 in the Seamstress class, and is now selling items he's made on the in-game marketplace
His prices are matched "to the highest price in the market. I'm sorry, I'm running out of money."
Items he's made will have his name in the tooltip, as seen in the image above
He joked about starting his own fashion brand, "Saka Gucci"
What we thought:
Between the pun on his name and his admission that he's strapped for gil, this was another delightful twist of fate in his Eorzea adventure
This might open the way for players to exploit others, however, if they've claimed his name for their own avatars on different data centers
Sakaguchi likely plays on the Japanese data center Mana, possibly on the server Anima (based on his Twitter exchange with Yasumi Matsuno back when he was starting to play FFXIV), so if you're on any other DC, don't fall for these tricks
What's next: Clothes are nice and all. But if he dips his toes into Blacksmithing, I think I'd rather buy a nice blade from him.
Around the Union
We had not one but two videos this week! First, explore the connections between two iconic villians in "Analyzing the Chilling Parallels Between Kefka & Sephiroth!" These thought experiments have yielded some staggering finds in the past, and this video is sure to change the way you see two of the most recognizable antagonists in the series.
Also, yesterday we released our channel update: "There Are Big Things In Store...!" Be sure to check this out for info on how we'll be changing our content output throughout the year, as well as adjustments to our Patreon.
Want to have your fanart, screenshots, or other creations highlighted in our next issue? Send submissions via Discord (hoogathy#9999 or our #creative_show_and_tell channel), Twitter @hoogathy, or on the dedicated post in our FFU Facebook group!
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Until next time, kupo!