Final Fantasy XIV Mastermind Yoshi-P Will Be Playable in Nioh 2

Logan Moore January 27, 2020 12:30 PM EST

Nioh 2 will feature a preset character template that is based on Final Fantasy XIV director Yoshi-P.

It seems as though one of the most popular game developers of today will be making a cameo appearance of sorts in Team Ninja’s upcoming action sequel Nioh 2 later this year.

As shared by user @HDKrin on Twitter, the latest developer stream for Nioh 2 announced the results of the character creation contest that had been held in recent months. One of the winners for the contest was a character design that was based on Naoki Yoshida, the director of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV.

Team Ninja ended up approaching the beloved director, who often goes by the nickname Yoshi-P, and asked him for approval to use his likeness in the final release of Nioh 2 based on this design. Yoshida ended up giving his approval and now, he’ll be one of the pre-set character templates that you can choose from in the finished version of the game.

In the latest Nioh 2 stream, character creation contest results were revealed. One of them was based off of FFXIV producer and director, Naoki Yoshida. They got permission from Yoshida himself & now, Yoshi-P will be one of the preset templates in Nioh 2. https://t.co/1x7NeZCrfx pic.twitter.com/Q3NAPFml1o — HDKirin (@HDKirin) January 27, 2020

This is kind of a strangely hilarious crossover to see occur, especially given that Nioh 2 and Final Fantasy XIV are pretty much polar opposites when it comes to the genres that they occupy. Still, it can’t be denied just how popular Yoshida has become in recent years. Yoshida was placed in charge of Final Fantasy XIV after the game’s dismal launch in 2010 and along with the rest of his team, drastically ended up turning the title around. Now, Final Fantasy XIV is considered one of, if not the best, current MMORPG on the market. As such, Yoshi-P has become adored by fans for creating such an enthralling Final Fantasy experience.

Yoshida’s inclusion in Nioh 2 also makes me think of other famous game devs that might be able to be re-created in the title’s character creator. Obvious inclusions that I expect many fans might try to create once the game launches would be Hideo Kojima, Masahiro Sakurai, or even Shigeru Miyamoto.

Personally, I think it’d be funniest though if someone could make a character that looks like Todd Howard. There’s just something about Howard that comes across as goofy to me, and I’m not really sure why. Imagining him hacking up yokai with a samurai sword seems funny in my head. Maybe that’s what I’ll try to make my own character look like when I dive into Nioh 2 in just a few short months.

Nioh 2 is slated to release later this year on March 13, 2020, exclusively for the PS4. Final Fantasy XIV, on the other hand, is presently available to play on PS4 and PC. The game’s latest expansion, Shadowbringers, launched last year and has once again breathed new life into the MMO.