Final Fantasy XVI Successfully Attracts Younger Audience, Expanding Series' Reach

In a recent interview with Push Square, Takeo Kujiraoka, the Director of Final Fantasy XVI's DLC, revealed the game's success in expanding the franchise's audience. He noted a shift in player demographics, with more people in their teens and 20s playing Final Fantasy XVI than in previous titles.

In recent years, players of the Final Fantasy series have tended to skew towards a higher age range. However, this time there are survey results showing that more people in their teens and 20s played Final Fantasy XVI. I think this shows that, to a certain extent, we’ve achieved one of our initial goals – to have players of all ages play the latest Final Fantasy game.

The success of Final Fantasy XVI's audience expansion can be attributed to the game's departure from series tradition. Unlike its predecessors, Final Fantasy XVI offers an action-oriented gameplay experience, appealing to players who may not have been drawn to the series' more traditional gameplay mechanics.

This doesn’t mean that all future Final Fantasy games will take a similar direction to Final Fantasy XVI, but I do think it means that we’ve been able to bring new players on board and open new possibilities for the development teams that will work on future instalments in the series.

Naoki Yoshida supported this direction, noting the growing appeal of action games among younger players. He remarked on the changing preferences in gaming, emphasizing the shift from turn-based combat to more dynamic, action-oriented gameplay.

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Source:

https://www.pushsquare.com/features/interview-final-fantasy-16s-dlc-director-on-the-rising-tide-16s-success-and-what-makes-a-great-expansion