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[Doom_Bringer]

TOKYO--Hironobu Sakaguchi, former Square executive vice president and co-creator of the Final Fantasy series, is working on two new role-playing games at his own development studio, Mist Walker. Sakaguchi himself revealed the news in an interview with Japanese Web site Gpara.com.

While Mist Walker's logo was trademarked in 2001, Sakaguchi has only recently publicly announced his plans for the new studio. Sakaguchi will be its president, and Kensuke Tanaka, who was involved in Square Enix projects such as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and PlayOnline, will serve as its vice president.

"I've been absent from the creative field for about the last two and a half years, so it's been a while," says Sakaguchi in the interview. "Mist Walker is a small studio, but we've got a lot of sharp employees...We've started working on two full-scale projects, and they're both RPGs. I'm packing in all of my 20 years of experience and knowledge to make these games the best that I've created."

While Sakaguchi did not reveal what platforms Mist Walker's new projects would be released for, he did assure the public that they would have the emotional impact of his previously work, "I'll incorporate the good points from past games, but I'm working to my limit in hopes that these games will bring tears to the eyes of their players, in the ways that only novels and movies could," he said.

These RPGs are gonna be hot

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/08/09/news_6104404.html

 

[Azih]

Wasn't this in response to the whole Final Fantasy Sprits Within debacle where Sakaguchi got demoted?

 

[kitchenmotors]

isn't that logo a fake?

 

[Luscious LeftFoot]

Small Developer, FF connection, RPG, MS would do well to try and get them on board the xbox.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure this was posted before...

 

[norinrad21]

That bastard almost ruined Square

 

[kitchenmotors]

Small Developer, FF connection, RPG, MS would do well to try and get them on board the xbox.

Not gonna happen.

 

[6.8]

That bastard almost ruined Square

Yeah, but then they had to blow it and ruin themselves.

 

[djtiesto]

Small Developer, FF connection, RPG, MS would do well to try and get them on board the xbox.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure this was posted before...

Common sense is something that Microsoft Japan seems to lack...

 

[Kobun Heat]

No, 'common sense' would be for both games to be on the PS2 so as to maximize exposure and sales.

 

[Andy787]

Small Developer, FF connection, RPG, MS would do well to try and get them on board the xbox.

Jesus, why is people must make this statement about every promising independent project that comes up?

 

[RevenantKioku]

No, 'common sense' would be for both games to be on the PS2 so as to maximize exposure and sales.

But Microsoft has to take Japan! They just gotta!

 

[Luscious LeftFoot]

Jesus, why is people must make this statement about every promising independent project that comes up?

Probably because that's the best place to start, and what MS should have done if the first place...

 

[sarusama]

Sorry for the OT:

@Luscious LeftFoot: what anime is your avatar taken from?

 

[Gattsu25]

Sorry for the OT:

@Luscious LeftFoot: what anime is your avatar taken from?

Tenjou Tenge

 

[jedimike]

Not gonna happen.

MS does have strong ties to Square. Remember, Yoshihiro Maruyama is the head of Xbox Japan. He was in charge of Square, so him and Hironobu Sakaguchi (Vice Pres) obviously have close ties.

New start-ups need money.

 

[bloke]

So he doesn't work for SquareEnix anymore, and Mist Walker has nothing to do with his former company either?

 

[MassiveAttack]

The "secret" project MS has been hiring for on its website of late may be directly tied to Sakaguchi's new studio. Would not surprise me at all considering Maruyama (ex-Squaresoft USA) is now running MS Japan.

If not, -1000 for MS Japan.

 

[jedimike]

So he doesn't work for SquareEnix anymore, and Mist Walker has nothing to do with his former company either?

Nope. Just two ex-employees of Square. One who needs games (MS) and one who needs money (MW).

 

[belgurdo]

It'll be interesting/funny to see if Sakaguchi can create another FF-caliber success and ends up competing side by side with his old project

 

[RevenantKioku]

Well, it'd be awesome if they gave me a reason to use my xbox.

 

[FortNinety]

Why did he leave again? And what was his last game project? What's his views on XI, does anybody know?

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Well, it'd be awesome if they gave me a reason to use my xbox.

I am pretty sure that both of them are going to be on a next gen console, PS3 most likely

 

[madara]

I am pretty sure that both of them are going to be on a next gen console, PS3 most likely

I would clearly think the same as well.

 

[RevenantKioku]

I am pretty sure that both of them are going to be on a next gen console, PS3 most likely

Oh, that's quite obvious and I'm not hoping it to be on the XBox by any means. But it be nice to have a reason to turn it on once in a while, haha.

 

[AniHawk]

Oh, that's quite obvious and I'm not hoping it to be on the XBox by any means. But it be nice to have a reason to turn it on once in a while, haha.

Oh, look at what you've done.

 

[kitchenmotors]

MS does have strong ties to Square. Remember, Yoshihiro Maruyama is the head of Xbox Japan. He was in charge of Square, so him and Hironobu Sakaguchi (Vice Pres) obviously have close ties.

New start-ups need money.

So? That means nothing, Mr. Optimistic. Both Sony and Nintendo have strong ties to Square Enix. And both can offer money and favors. Nintendo did so with Crystal Chronicles, they funded the entire project.

Tip #1 for a new start up in the Japanese market: Don't make games for Xbox as it is a dead end.

And MS has no fucking ties with Square.

 

[GDGF]

Why did he leave again?

Probably because he didn't want to be stuck in a 'window seat' for the rest of his life

 

[jedimike]

So? That means nothing, Mr. Optimistic. Both Sony and Nintendo have strong ties to Square Enix. And both can offer money and favors. Nintendo did so with Crystal Chronicles, they funded the entire project.

This has nothing to do with squeenix.

Tip #1 for a new start up in the Japanese market: Don't make games for Xbox as it is a dead end.

This game is certainly not for Xbox or any other current gen console.

And MS has no fucking ties with Square.

Well technically there is no Square, but MS certainly has ties with Mist Walker.

 

[Bizarro Sun Yat-sen]

Maruyama (ex-Squaresoft USA)

No such company as Squaresoft USA. This isn't purely insignificant nitpicking since there was a company called Square Soft, Inc. (localized and published games for the US market until '96, continued to localize them until Enix merger, developed Secret of Evermore and FF7-8 PC ports) and there was another company called Square USA (the studio behind the FFTSW and Final Flight of the Osiris film projects along with Final Fantasy IX, Parasite Eve, Chocobo's Dungeon 2 and Racing as well as some CG R&D and tool development for other games like FF8), so it's not clear to which company "Squaresoft USA" would refer. In fact Maruyama was a VP of Square Soft, Inc. and Square EA.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

Well, it'd be awesome if they gave me a reason to use my xbox.

iawtp

 

[speedpop]

Why did he leave again? And what was his last game project? What's his views on XI, does anybody know?

Far as I knew it was all over the flop of Spirits Within. Instead of important share holders shaking their willy's in disgust, Sakaguchi took it upon himself to accept full responsibility and resign to keep them jerking.

His last game project I can forsee was FFIX, although it is hard to tell since he is credited as ex. producer in almost everything Square pumped out during PS1 to even FFX (?? don't kill me on that fact as I'm grasping straws). Whether he really approved of the development of FFXI or not, who knows - I know he did the role of PR and said he enjoyed playing it in his shack on Hawaii.

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

I'm packing in all of my 20 years of experience and knowledge to make these games the best that I've created."

sweeeet

 

[FortNinety]

Far as I knew it was all over the flop of Spirits Within. Instead of important share holders shaking their willy's in disgust, Sakaguchi took it upon himself to accept full responsibility and resign to keep them jerking.

His last game project I can forsee was FFIX, although it is hard to tell since he is credited as ex. producer in almost everything Square pumped out during PS1 to even FFX (?? don't kill me on that fact as I'm grasping straws). Whether he really approved of the development of FFXI or not, who knows - I know he did the role of PR and said he enjoyed playing it in his shack on Hawaii.

Interesting... I assumed he worked on X. I always knew IX was his "ode" to classic RPGs to an extent.

So does X feel all that different from IX because Sakaguchi was not part of it? Better, worse, or just different?

 

[Zilch]

So does X feel all that different from IX because Sakaguchi was not part of it?

No, FFX feels very different from FFIX because two completely different dev teams worked on them.

 

[Pellham]

His last game project I can forsee was FFIX, although it is hard to tell since he is credited as ex. producer in almost everything Square pumped out during PS1 to even FFX (?? don't kill me on that fact as I'm grasping straws). Whether he really approved of the development of FFXI or not, who knows - I know he did the role of PR and said he enjoyed playing it in his shack on Hawaii.

Isn't he credited as executive producer on FFX and FFXI as well? I'm pretty sure he was still in Square for those.

And it's not like he did anything for FFIX besides writing up a summary of the story anyway.

On a side note, if these games that Sakaguchi is working on have the same flair that his Super Famicom/Famicom games do, they might actually be better than the last 6 FF games.

 

[Kobun Heat]

He didn't do much of anything for 8 or 9, because he was putting in like 99% of his time into the movie. By the time 10 came out the movie had bomb-diggity-izznombed and he was put in a 'window seat' - that is, Square paid him to be an "executive producer" and do nothing. Of course, he immediately started planning to have his own independent studio, because he's too creative to just sit on his ass.