Naoki Hamaguchi Says He Would Not Direct a Final Fantasy VI Remake and Would Rather Support a New Creator

Final Fantasy VII usually dominates modern conversation, but for many long time series fans, Final Fantasy VI remains the franchise’s holy grail. The 1994 classic helped define Square’s golden era identity with its magitek driven world, a massive ensemble cast, and one of the most iconic villains the genre has ever produced in Kefka Palazzo. That legacy is exactly why the idea of a modern reimagining keeps resurfacing, yet if Final Fantasy VI ever gets a full scale remake, it likely will not be led by the man who has spent the last decade rebuilding Final Fantasy VII.

In a new interview with GamerBraves, Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi spoke openly about his admiration for both Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII, saying they inspired him as a child and were fundamental to his journey into game creation. He described the two titles as being at the origin of his creativity, an admission that will resonate with veteran fans who view that era as the blueprint for modern JRPG storytelling.

That love, however, did not translate into borrowing heavily from Final Fantasy VI while working on the Final Fantasy VII Remake project. Hamaguchi explained that because he is working on the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, the origin for that work should be Final Fantasy VII itself. In other words, the directive was to bring out the best of the original Final Fantasy VII rather than to fold in concepts from other entries, even those he personally loves. It is a clear statement of creative discipline, and it also reinforces how intentionally the remake trilogy has tried to anchor its identity around FFVII’s DNA rather than becoming a broader tribute compilation to the series.

The most headline worthy part of the interview is his stance on a potential Final Fantasy VI remake. Hamaguchi stated he would not want to direct it. After being involved with the Final Fantasy VII Remake project for around 10 years, he does not want to spend another enormous amount of time on yet another remake. Instead, he said he would rather support a new young creator. This is not framed as a lack of respect for Final Fantasy VI, but as a practical and forward looking leadership position, passing the baton and enabling new creative voices rather than locking the same leadership into another decade long reconstruction effort.

You can watch the relevant video segment here on YouTube at https://youtu.be/jbrBjFZabUE.

From a production reality standpoint, his position makes sense, especially for anyone who has followed the remake trilogy’s scale and complexity. Even when a team innovates aggressively, a remake is still tethered to a known narrative spine, legacy expectations, and comparison culture that makes every deviation feel like a referendum. Carrying that constraint for a decade is a massive creative and organizational weight, and it is easy to see why Hamaguchi would prefer to help shape the next generation of leadership instead of repeating the same lifecycle.

A Final Fantasy VI remake would also introduce challenges that differ from Final Fantasy VII in ways that could inflate scope even further. The original Final Fantasy VI features an ensemble of 14 characters, and its storytelling frequently shifts perspective between different party members to build its broader narrative. Translating that into modern cinematic presentation and high fidelity gameplay systems would require enormous character modeling, animation, voice direction, and narrative restructuring to maintain pacing while honoring the original’s identity. The World of Ruin portion of the game in particular would raise the bar dramatically if approached as a modern open world style experience, since it is structurally a second half reinvention with exploration, recruitment, and emotional payoff that fans consider sacred.

Still, the community hunger is real, and it is easy to understand why. Final Fantasy VI is one of those rare classics whose most defining moments would likely hit even harder with modern staging, modern combat readability, and current gen world building. Seeing the World of Ruin realized at scale with modern visuals and systems could be an all timer moment for JRPG history, but it would also demand a team willing to commit for years and navigate a minefield of expectations.

As you noted, even if Square Enix ever intends to pursue Final Fantasy VI at remake scale, it is unlikely we will hear much until after the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy reaches its conclusion. With the finale nearing a stage where it can be shown, and the original game’s 30th anniversary approaching next year, the immediate focus is naturally on closing the FFVII project at maximum impact, including iconic late game elements fans are already anticipating.

If Square Enix does greenlight a Final Fantasy VI remake, would you want a full AAA reimagining on the scale of Final Fantasy VII Remake, or a tighter modernized approach that preserves pacing and the ensemble structure more directly?