The latest issue of Famitsu features an interview between Enterbrain's Hamamura and the two famous ex-Square staff, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, both of whom have started their own companies recently - Sakaguchi's new studio is called Mistwalker and Uematsu's is Smile Please. Some highlights of the interview below:
Uematsu
Although going independent implies a huge move, he doesn't see such a big change. Though it's true he left Square Enix, it wasn't because of any disagreement. Being there for close to 20 years has taken its toll, and the move to his own company gives a breath of fresh air to his work. He is still open to working with Square Enix, and if the chance comes around to work on their games he would like to take it. The name "Smile Please" comes about because he likes smiling, and he likes making people smile. It is the title of the first track on the first album he bought, Stevie Wonder's "First Finale", and represents a return to his roots.
Sakaguchi
Having worked with Uematsu for such a long time, they have a good working relationship and Sakaguchi likes the way Uematsu tells the story with his melodies. He would like to continue working with Uematsu in the future when his new RPG projects are further under way. He will continue to be involved in the Final Fantasy series as an Executive Producer, talking with the Directors and Producers of the series, in particular FFXII's Matsuno and FFX's Kitase. But he also has a strong feeling to make something new besides the FF titles.
Since last being interviewed four months ago, Sakaguchi has three projects underway. He can't talk about the platforms just yet, but he has been in talks with Microsoft and Nintendo. Of those three projects, one of them is well underway with the first part of the scenario complete. The system and controls are also developing form. The game should be announced sometime next year.
The first project
Uematsu is already involved in two of Sakaguchi's projects and will write music based on the scenarios. The two have both aged since the early Final Fantasy games and believe that the new games will be different from the FF games, and will be more deep. The first game will feature slightly atypical characters. Technically speaking there will be a levelling system, but it's more like emotional development. Rather than developing with singular big events, he wants to show the smallest changes of emotions constantly. There will still be big events with large impact though, just like the real world, as the characters are human. Author Kiyoshi Shigematsu is also involved in the project, writing short parts of the story, for example about the families or about a lover, so that the game is emotionally deep.
When the team first started making Final Fantasy, they talked of making 10 games in the series, and they also mention 10 games for this series, even though it could take 20 years.
