Final Fantasy 14 may very well be the most successful game in the entire series, although few can doubt that Final Fantasy 7 is likely the most iconic. While the series’ second MMO entry has brought in tens of millions of players since its debut, director Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida explains that many still talk down on the game for being a multiplayer game.
Over the decades, Final Fantasy has existed in many different forms, and the longevity of the franchise is tied to how much its able to continue reinventing itself. Despite this, Yoshida reveals that many fans of the franchise won’t give the game a shot due to its genre.
“There are still a lot of people out there who look at an online Final Fantasy and they say, ‘Well, an online Final Fantasy is not a Final Fantasy,’” the game director said at a panel during Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festival 2026.
With that in mind, Yoshida explained that he’s thought of creating single-player versions or spin-offs of Final Fantasy 14 in the past. “I have thought about it,” he said. “Considering how long that I’ve been working on this, I still feel that I want to continue bringing in even one more person around the world so that they can experience this game”.
This thought process hasn’t just hit Final Fantasy fans, either. Over the years, Square Enix’s Dragon Quest X—an MMO which does offer an offline version alternative—has been seen as the series’ black sheep entry for being an online multiplayer game.
While Yoshida would like to bring more players to the unique version of Final Fantasy that is Final Fantasy 14, the director admits that they likely won’t have the time to do so. Right now, the director is busy with the next major expansion for the MMO, Evercold, as well as the development of the game’s Nintendo Switch 2 port.
“While I do love to consider making a standalone Final Fantasy 14, unfortunately the only team that could make a standalone Final Fantasy 14—the best standalone Final Fantasy 14—is the current Final Fantasy 14 team,” he said. “If we ever retire from Final Fantasy XIV Online, maybe we can do it as our work after retirement.”
While a single-player Final Fantasy 14 likely isn’t coming anytime soon (or really ever), Square Enix is still investing in more games in the series. Alongside the upcoming finale for the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, it’s expected that Final Fantasy 17 will also happen at some point. Although, news on the series’ next mainline entry has been suspiciously quiet.
At the time of writing, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 development is said to be progressing well. While the game isn’t expected to release this year, the upcoming finale of the FF7 Remake storyline is being designed with lower-power hardware such as the Steam Deck in mind.
