Final Fantasy VIII Remastered Developer Video Reveals Its Setting Was Inspired By FFVII’s Cyberpunk World

To help provide even more insight into Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, Square Enix has released a developer diary featuring Director Yoshinori Kitase, Producer Shinji Hashimoto, and Art Director Yusuke Naora. It offers all sorts of insights into what went into the game, beginning with how much of an influence Final Fantasy VII had on Final Fantasy VIII.

The initial Final Fantasy VII influence revelations came from Hashimoto, who also worked as a Publicity Producer on that game. He noted that he was a part of every part of the game creation process with this entry. For example, Hashimoto said Final Fantasy VII was created “in-house” in Japan, but Sony helped with the game in North America and Europe. As a result, he said Final Fantasy VIII was “made in a more global fashion” by Square. Kitase then followed up by saying, “The world of Final Fantasy VIII—the near-future setting—was an extension on the cyberpunk influenced world of VII, and this near-future, science fiction-based world was something that we aimed for from the start.”

You can see the full almost-24 minute “Inside Final Fantasy VIII Remastered” video below.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.