Final Fantasy X developers thought it could be their last single-player RPG

Concerns over the dominance of online games

During the creation of the iconic Final Fantasy X, the development team worked with the belief that this project could be their last classic single-player role-playing game. Series producer Yoshinori Kitase revealed this in an interview with Game Informer magazine.

According to Kitase, at the turn of the millennium, there was a feeling within the company that the future of video games would be entirely online. Many in the industry believed that single-player story-driven games would soon lose their relevance to online and multiplayer projects.

How the franchise's fate turned out

These concerns were partially confirmed by the subsequent release — Final Fantasy XI did indeed become a full-fledged MMORPG. However, the company did not abandon single-player adventures:

• Square Enix continued to release numbered single-player entries, including Final Fantasy XII, XIII, XV, and XVI.
• The online direction successfully developed with Final Fantasy XIV without getting in the way of traditional releases.
• Final Fantasy X itself, along with the sequel X-2, received a great HD remaster, available particularly on Nintendo Switch family consoles.

As time showed, the creators' fears did not come true: deep single-player role-playing games preserved their huge audience and continue to be in massive demand among players.