FF7 Remake Director Thinks Streamers Are Dangerous For RPGs

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi worries streamers are causing a “crisis” for the RPG genre because people who watch the games may not be willing to play them themselves.

Since Final Fantasy 7 Revelation closed out its massive Summer Game Fest showcase last week, we've learned a lot about the third and final part of the remake trilogy. From Scarlett and Tifa's slap fight being included and given “appropriate consideration” to the possibility of Dirge of Cerberus DLC, director Naoki Hamaguchi has given us a lot to look forward to.

One of the most exciting details to come out about Revelation is that it will have a lot more player choice than Remake and Rebirth when it comes to choosing story moments and how players approach minigames and content. This level of player agency is what Hamaguchi believes is needed, with the rise of streamers causing a “crisis” for RPGs.

FF7 Remake Director Thinks Live Streaming Is A Problem For Role-Playing Games

This is why Revelations forces choices on the player.

As Automaton points out, Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi recently spoke with 4Gamer about the final chapter of the remake trilogy, highlighting the new focus on player choice. This is partly due to fan feedback and making stories more personal, but Hamaguchi said the increase in gameplay streams has also played a part in the problem.

Hamaguchi points out that games in this era require player choice, as RPGs like Final Fantasy have to be “careful” that players aren't satisfied with just watching streamers play the game. The director describes this as a ‘crisis of the work’ and a situation in which creators cannot ‘rejoice with all their hearts.’

Hamaguchi doesn't think all gameplay streams are bad, but he does think player choice can encourage streamers to think about how they might have played the game and give it a try. Conversely, focusing only on the story may make people watching your live stream feel like they don't need the full experience.

“I'm not saying all gameplay videos are bad, but if they make you think, 'What do I want to do?' or 'How can I even try to figure that out?' Then they will be more inclined to try it themselves.” – Naoki Hamaguchi

this not so This is a problem specific to RPGs, as almost every game that is released is immediately live-streamed to hundreds or thousands of viewers. is This is especially dangerous in story-driven games like Final Fantasy. If you think watching cutscene compilations on YouTube is the same as actually playing the game, Hamaguchi and all the other developers are begging you to think again.