Final Fantasy 15 director says AI, VR, Web3 important for devs ‘whether you like it or not’

Developers should embrace future-facing technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and Web3 if they want to stay relevant in the changing gaming industry, says Final Fantasy 15 director Hajime Tabata.

Tabata’s comments came during a seminar held by Human Academy featuring former Square Enix president Yoichi Wada and Tabata, who is now the CEO of JP Games.

According to a Google translation of a report from Japanese news source 4Gamer, the two gaming industry luminaries discussed the future of gaming with topics ranging from “what is required of creators now” to “these people are not suitable for creators”.

Creators who haven’t tried generative artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT or dabbled in Web3 and metaverse development won’t be able to keep up with the needs of the industry going forward, according to Wada and Tabata.

In reference to these technologies, Tabata said:

“It’s important whether you like it or not, but being a game creator is also a service industry, so you can only get paid if you make something that satisfies others and provide it.”

The overarching point of the conversation between the two appeared to address the changing landscape and the need for developers to remain both curious and agile as new modalities transform the nature of both game creation and monetization.

“To make a game from a management perspective,” said Wada, “you need three things: authorship, craftsmanship, and teamwork.” He added, “If you don’t understand the characteristics of media and the technology related to it, you can’t create proper content.”

Under its current president, Yosuke Matsuda, Square Enix has become one of the largest proponents of future-facing technologies among AAA game publishers. As Cointelegraph recently reported, the company pivoted to future tech in 2024 with a promise to modify its organizational structure to support blockchain, Web3, and AI technologies throughout its verticals.

Related: Square Enix invests in Web3 and NFT gaming platform HyperPlay