Granted, given that he left Square Enix in 2003 to establish Mistwalker, this shouldn't necessarily come as much of a shock, but what's interesting is the reasoning behind his decision. According to Sakaguchi, he loaded up Final Fantasy XIV in 2021 with the intention of spending just a few hours with the game before attending an event.
A few hours turned into a genuine obsession, with Sakaguchi confessing, "Now I almost live in Final Fantasy XIV". As such, he expressed concern that revisiting the franchise in a professional capacity would impact his enjoyment of the game, citing his switch from creator to consumer.
Additionally, Sakaguchi reiterated that he does not wish to work on bringing older Mistwalker games, such as Blue Dragon or Lost Odyssey, over to modern platforms. He confirmed that he and the team are working on something brand new, but would not comment on what this might be. Best guesses at the moment point to a direct sequel of Fantasian, with the company recently filing a trademark for 'Fantasian Dark Edge'.
