Final Fantasy Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi Picks Final Fantasy XV as His Game of the Year

Giuseppe Nelva December 28, 2016 4:41 PM EST

Mistwalker President Hironobu Sakaguchi is known for many awesome JRPGs, but he is probably most famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, yet, as many fathers, he hasn’t always agreed with the direction taken by his child.

Yet, it appears that that fracture has, at least in part, been healed. When asked by 4Gamer to pick his game of the year for 2016, Sakaguchi-san brought up Final Fantasy XV.

“I’m actually playing Final Fantasy XV, and it’s fun! By watching the movie, I was drawn into the world view even more.”

Sakaguchi-san also mentioned Nintendo’s Mini NES console as his favorite entertainment for the year, and teased the announcement of his new game in 2017.

This isn’t the first time that Sakaguchi-san has words of praise for Final Fantasy XV. Back at the Uncovered event in March, Sakaguchi-san surprised many by walking on Square Enix’s stage to praise the game’s return to seeking new challenges, which according to him used to be the true nature of the series. You can see that frankly rather moving moment in the video at the bottom of the post.

During the Uncovered post-show, Sakaguchi-san also praised the game’s quality and the work and determination of its director, Hajime Tabata.

In this light, this year-end nod possibly appears less surprising, but I’d say that there can be no higher praise for a game, than that from the man who started it all.

Sakaguchi-san wasn’t the only one who picked Final Fantasy XV as his game of the year. Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studio President Shuhei Yoshida expressed the same preference.

You can also check out which games were picked by a large number of Japanese developers, and if you want to speak your own mind, don’t forget to vote for our Rearders’ Choice Game of the Year 2016.