Tabata may have overworked himself for Final Fantasy XV

[KHLegendIII 709]

"You'd be appalled," says Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD and Final Fantasy 15. "Just as a reference, I sleep maybe three hours each day. It's difficult every day ...

"There is a sense that this is shortening my lifespan. But it's all worth it."

For a man who jokes often about his work sending him to an early grave, Tabata is in good spirits. Charismatic and sharp, he smiles and jests frequently, even when he has good reason to be losing sleep. In the next few months, he'll finish off the first Final Fantasy game for this generation's consoles — Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One remake of a Japanese PSP game arriving for the first time in North America. And his other project, Final Fantasy 15, the long-delayed and next big numbered game in the franchise, is only a little further down the pipe.

Those two titles may come to define the franchise as it enters this new era, but it's still unclear — even to Tabata — exactly what kind of legacy they'll leave.

Hajime Tabata

"With Type-0 HD, we started the project because of our fans, so we want to ensure that we're able to deliver the experience to them properly," Tabata says. "With 15, we're looking even further ahead and really want to make an evolved version of Final Fantasy. Both games are very much worth our time."

When it came to setting the tone for Final Fantasy games on PS4 and Xbox One, Tabata says Square Enix didn't set out with a clear idea of what that future should look like. After all, the Final Fantasy franchise has spanned generations of consoles and explored dozens of different themes and settings.

"In terms of the franchise as a whole, there is no directive or a clear direction that we're moving towards for this generation," Tabata says.

Fear not — Tabata says that the teams have clear ideas of what they hope to achieve individually. Both of his games are more action-heavy than previous entries in the series, yet strategy remains. And Tabata is eager to use the big screen to help players dive deeper into their experiences, a point he reiterates often. It's a puzzling comment unless you've studied his development history, which is filled with handheld titles like the original Japan-only version of Type-0 on PSP, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy Agito. Type-0 HD is his first chance to launch a Final Fantasy title for consoles — and then he gets to repeat the act with Final Fantasy 15.

Once dubbed as spin-off title Final Fantasy Versus 13, Final Fantasy 15 is a nearly decade-long project Square Enix rebranded in 2013. Tabata, previously a co-director of Final Fantasy 15 with longtime designer Tetsuya Nomura, is now the sole director on the project. Tabata says that while Nomura's departure may have shocked some fans, lengthy discussions took place internally — both within the company and inside Tabata's head. Tabata considered the fans' reaction, the realities and responsibilities of assuming a full director role and the long hours he'd already come to know with Type-0.

 

Final Fantasy 15

"I knew whatever lifespan I'd already shortened with Type-0 would be even further shortened with 15," Tabata says. "But after a minute or two of thinking it over, I thought, 'That shouldn't be much of a problem.'"

It's not just sleep Tabata is sacrificing, either. As a husband, and as a father to a daughter in kindergarten, he says the time he spends at home never feels like enough. He cranks into the early hours of the morning during the week in order to spend his weekends playing with his daughter or eating with his wife. His own alone time is nearly non-existent, pushed back into the hours he spends in the car on the way to work.

 

"In the car, I listen to music," Tabata says. "That's all I really do. In essence, that's the only place where I listen to music now."

Yet by taking on these projects — and by tackling Final Fantasy 15 specifically — Tabata feels that the reward will outweigh the work.

"I can finally kind of be on the same battlefield as some of the globally popular AAA titles, the major hits," Tabata says. "That's been one of the best feelings that's come from working on this."

There's something special about watching Final Fantasy fans get excited, too, he says. Tabata says it's worth all the struggle when a game is finally released and feedback comes pouring in. Criticism is only a temporary setback, and it inspires him want to work harder. But the real joy is finding the players who enjoy the team's work.

"Once we receive news of fans enjoying this game, it all kind of is worth it," Tabata says. "You forget about all the struggles that you faced during the development ... I think that's what keeps me going."

As an example, Tabata points to the PSP version of Type-0 that he directed in 2011 — the same year the Tohoku earthquake hit, triggering a powerful tsunami and killing thousands of people. Stories about death and damage filled local news: nuclear facilities suffering from accidents and meltdowns, families being displaced from their homes.

Type-0 hadn't been released yet. Yet along with an outpouring of global support for Japan, the developers at Square Enix began to receive their own encouragement: fan letters.

"We received a lot of letters during that time saying that people were really looking forward to Final Fantasy being released," Tabata says. "It felt great that entertainment was helping people keep their heads up so they could have something to look forward to.

Final Fantasy Type-0 (left); Final Fantasy 15 (right)

"I think it was at that point that I started to feel like it's OK — it's really not a big deal if I'm shortening my lifespan to bring enjoyment to others. That's when my mindset started to change."

This mentality is typical of Japanese game developers, Tabata says. For Final Fantasy in particular, Tabata sees it as a franchise that brings happiness. He's quick to offer lighthearted, if not cutting commentary about his work ("I wouldn't really recommend developing games at Square Enix much. We don't sleep."), but there's a sharp sense of pride there, too.

"I put everything into all the titles that I create," Tabata says. "Final Fantasy sticks in many people's memories, so ... if I'm bringing a positive outlook to those who are playing it, if I'm delivering a positive experience — then I guess yes, it'll be great to be remembered as someone who was part of the franchise.

"It's really the drive to create the best experience. Something that surpasses everything ... That's just what Final Fantasy development is like."

 

 

 

Source:

 

http://www.polygon.com/a/life-in-japan/Tabata-Final-Fantasy-15

 

Edit:

 

Never mind, this may have been old news.

Edited February 16, 2016 by KHLegendIII

[lostmemory123 1,056]

Making video games is a passion-driven thing. If you love what youre doing and see that what youre doing is loved by hundreds and hundreds of people, you kind of push aside the pain.

I mean just look at Sakurai and Smash Bros, he was dealing with a lot of his own personal health problems, but he pushed on regardless when creating Smash 4.

[Ven983 490]

I mean you can't really blame the guy for having this much stress, the company has basically placed the future of the franchise in his shoulders and this is by far the biggest project he has ever had to work on. I have faith in him as everything he has shown has been promising. Hopefully the man will finally get a well deserved vacation and rest once the game releases

[The Deathdealer 96]

I hope this game is very good, I mean, I'm putting that $hit on PC, and if it's bad then damn, that would suck spending Max 5500 CAD dollars on upgrades man that I will use for like 10 years or so, this game has to be very good, rather not play trash, and 4K trash is still trash.

[Soravids 1,056]

Dang... I knew it was harsh, but whoa. Is Nomura working this hard with KH3?

[Soul_Seeker 753]

Sounds like Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece. I heard he only gets about 2-3 hours of sleep before he wakes up and goes right back to work on the manga.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

This, everyone, just goes to show you that developing games isn't as easy as cutting someone's head off!  I should know, cuz I do that for a living, being a mercenary and all!

 

But in all seriousness though, game developers take time from their lives to create badass things for us to enjoy!  So we shouldn't be hard on them when they're pouring hours of their lives into something that'll be made for millions of people to enjoy!  Keep that in mind, people!  This is game business!

[Sora96 17,256]

Dang... I knew it was harsh, but whoa. Is Nomura working this hard with KH3?

 

LOL. Nope. He has Yasue handling it day-to-day. Nomura's the creative visionary.

 

And of course it's like this. Go look at the director of Dragon Quest X, he looks really unwell.

 

Toriyama had to take a long holiday after the XIII series was finished.

 

And Tabata's fine, I wouldn't worry. He's also producing Type-0 Online and has his new IP in development.