Hironobu Sakaguchi Says He “Cheated on Nintendo” When He and Final Fantasy Went to PlayStation

Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Final Fantasy, admitted he “cheated” on Nintendo by moving the series to PlayStation. This surprising decision took place nearly 30 years ago with Final Fantasy VII. Rather than launching on Nintendo’s latest console, the Nintendo 64, it became a PlayStation exclusive.

In an interview with OneMoreGame, Sakaguchi acknowledged this moment in his career, even admitting that he “cheated” on Nintendo by taking Final Fantasy to PlayStation. “I look back at my career and I really got a huge part of my start from the NES and Nintendo. So, without the NES, I would say none of any of this would have been possible, but then, you know, I cheated on Nintendo and went to PlayStation,” said Sakaguchi.

While the move initially seemed risky, it proved to be a monumental success. Final Fantasy VII helped establish PlayStation as a major contender in the gaming industry. Sakaguchi, however, expressed that despite the switch, both Nintendo and Sony played essential roles in shaping his career. “Whether it was Nintendo or Sony, I think both of those companies in addition to Final Fantasy VI kind of represent a lot of my origin story in terms of my career development,” he explained.

Before this move, Nintendo had been the home of Final Fantasy, hosting the first six games on its NES and SNES systems. However, with the development of Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix made the decision to switch to Sony’s PlayStation. The move was largely driven by the affordability and storage capacity of CD-ROMs, which were used by PlayStation, compared to Nintendo’s more expensive cartridges. The change allowed Final Fantasy VII to include the high-quality visuals and music that would have been impossible on Nintendo’s hardware at the time.

Sakaguchi also discussed Fantasian Neo Dimension, a game he considers may be his last. Originally launched on Apple Arcade, the game is now coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation consoles, and even PC and Xbox Series X/S. He remarked on how it feels like a “huge high school reunion” to see Fantasian on platforms that have influenced his entire career.

Related Reading:

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• Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Final Fantasy 16 Profits Did Not Meet Expectations, Admits Square Enix
• Final Fantasy 16: Producer Naoki Yoshida Has Asked PC Players Not to Create “Offensive or Inappropriate” Mods

Thanks, Genki_JPN!

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