Famitsu, Sakaguchi talk 2015

Cite as: Famitsu, Sakaguchi talk 2015
Original: http://www.famitsu.com/news/201505/24079276.html
sha256: ebd671a53cf38b68da85a95b3ff100e9b72a0ae4a30b71dd17faaaee53acb892
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20150526221313id_/http://www.famitsu.com/news/201505/24079276.html
Accessed: 2026-10-22
Licence: © KADOKAWA Corporation
Credit: Report by Famitsu staff ("文・取材・撮影: 編集部ロマンシング★嵯峨"); speaker Hironobu Sakaguchi, with Hirokazu Hamamura as interviewer.
Notes: A report, not a transcript: Sakaguchi's words are quoted in Japanese and the surrounding prose is the reporter's. It gives the first game's release as 1987, describes the four-person start and Nasir Gebelli's role, and has Sakaguchi reject the "last game" explanation of the title while explaining the FF abbreviation and the abandoned Fighting Fantasy name.

Cited on

In a 2015 talk reported by Famitsu, Sakaguchi said the title was chosen to abbreviate as "FF", that Fighting Fantasy was dropped because a board game had the name, and that any word starting with F would have done; he denied the story that it was named Final because the team meant it as their last project, while granting that they had their backs to the wall.	`section 『ファイナルファンタジー』の誕生section 『ファイナルファンタジー』の誕生`	Web
Famitsu's report of Sakaguchi's 2015 talk says Final Fantasy II and III were released in Japan but not overseas, and that the game sold in North America as Final Fantasy II was Final Fantasy IV; in 1994 Square's Hirata said the Famicom FF2 and FF3 were never translated.	`section 海外での展開は手さぐりが続くsection 海外での展開は手さぐりが続く`	Web
Yusuke Hirata of Square told Electronic Gaming Monthly in 1994 that the Famicom Final Fantasy II and III were never translated. Famitsu's report of Sakaguchi's 2015 talk says the two were not released overseas, and that Sakaguchi thought the team had its hands full making the Japanese versions, with no room to localize them, and was still unsure a turn-based RPG would be accepted.	`section 海外での展開は手さぐりが続く`	Magazine