Final Fantasy XI Producer Akihiko Matsui Passes The Reins To Game Director Yoji Fujito

This year will mark the end of an era for Final Fantasy XI as it not only concludes its three-year Voracious Resurgence narrative but also bids farewell to its producer Akihiko Matsui. After a decade of overseeing the game’s development, Matsui has decided to pass on the torch to the game’s current director, Yoji Fujito.

According to Matsui, he had originally planned on staying on as the classic MMORPG’s producer until his retirement. Fujito, however, recently expressed his desire to eventually take on the role which ultimately led him to decide that it was time for someone else to take the reins.

Matsui admitted that he was rather conservative in his development approach and that his focus had been on keeping the game alive rather than making improvements to the 20-year-old game. Some of the significant changes made to the game over the years, including the installer revamp, were apparently only made possible thanks to the game director.

“Based on those moments, especially his display of initiative to carry on in my stead, I am confident that no one is more suitable than Mr. Fujito to carry on Vana'diel's legacy as producer,” Matsui said. “Thank you all for supporting FFXI for the past 20 years. The Development team is incredibly fortunate to have such strong and direct encouragement from our passionate players.”

“My heart is filled with gratitude for all of you, the protagonists whose various journeys wove together the world of Vana'diel,” he added. “Our community is the source of the magic that truly sets FFXI apart from other games. And more than anything else, I enjoy hearing from you about your adventures. I will continue to support FFXI moving forward and hope you'll keep weaving your own tales in Vana'diel.”

In a follow-up letter, Fujito revealed his plans to slightly reduce the size of the team working on Final Fantasy XI. He’s also looking into rolling out more compact updates, improving server architecture, releasing more merchandise, and bringing back live events.

“Both Mr. Akihiko Matsui and his predecessor Mr. Hiromichi Tanaka were highly influential not only in FFXI, but the FINAL FANTASY franchise as a whole, so I confess to feeling a quite a lot of pressure,” Fujito said. “Nevertheless, I pledge to do my best in this role and would appreciate your support as I get my bearings.”