Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P), who also served as producer of Final Fantasy XVI, believes that from the players’ perspective there’s no real need for new consoles, even if stronger hardware makes development easier.

Feed4Gamers interviewed Yoshida about next-gen consoles and the possibility of Final Fantasy XIV expanding to them. He confirmed that the idea is always on the table, as his goal is to reach as many players as possible. With each generation becoming more powerful, the team’s work is less demanding, so in that sense the launch of new hardware is a positive step.

Still, from a player’s point of view, Yoshida feels there is no pressing need for a PlayStation 6 or a next-gen Xbox. People seem content with the current generation, and the high price of new machines is certainly a factor. He also addressed support for the PlayStation 4 version of Final Fantasy XIV, which will continue for as long as possible, though inevitably it will end due to operating system and hardware limitations. Similar restrictions have already led other titles, such as Genshin Impact, to drop support for older consoles.

Sony Interactive Entertainment has already lifted certain limits for Final Fantasy XIV at the team’s request, but has now told the developers that they are nearing the end of those adjustments. This means the PS4 version of the MMORPG may soon be discontinued. Even though many players don’t feel a need for brand-new hardware, Yoshida noted that the next console generation could be one of the most intriguing in decades, given Sony and Microsoft’s diverging strategies.

Microsoft seems to be focusing on a modular design that offers more flexibility and positions the console closer to prebuilt PCs. Sony, on the other hand, is said to be planning a home system that delivers ten times the ray tracing capability of the base PlayStation 5, as well as a handheld device capable of running current-generation games natively.

Source: WCCFTech, Feed4Gamers