In a recent post on the social media platform X, the father of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, shared a picture of himself praying at the Ise Jingu Shrine, preparing for what he named his ‘New Project.’ The post reads:
Ise Jingu Shrine. I thanked the shrine for the start of my new project and for my good health during my physical checkup.
Sakaguchi has been teasing that he is working on a ‘dark fantasy’ game that he has not yet announced rolling back the idea of retirment:
I was thinking of retiring next year, but I decided to keep on going… (laughs). I also can’t stop playing Final Fantasy XIV, so I’ll see you in Eorzea. I’ve also started writing the scenario for an unannounced dark fantasy game which is now in development.
Sakaguchi has recently been seen aligning with Naoki Yoshida, appearing together on various occasions, including the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival in London. Sakaguchi played the entirety of Final Fantasy XVI and described it as a ‘true fantasy.’ He also thanked Yoshida for all the work he has done for Final Fantasy, saying, ‘I’m going to thank you back for making Final Fantasy even better moving forward,’ in front of hundreds of fans at the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival.