He would love to play it himself—a simple statement that carries weight
In the long arc of how cultures preserve and reimagine their most beloved stories, a director's offhand wish carries quiet significance. Naoki Hamaguchi, fresh from completing one of gaming's most ambitious acts of creative stewardship with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, has voiced a personal desire to see Final Fantasy 10 remade — a 2001 RPG that still holds a 92 on Metacritic yet was poorly served by its 2013 HD remaster. No announcement has been made, but when the craftspeople who understand the weight of such work begin to speak openly about what they would love to build next, the distance between longing and intention has a way of shrinking.
- A beloved 23-year-old RPG sits in an uncomfortable limbo — critically revered but visually underserved, its only modern release a remaster that disappointed the very fans it was meant to satisfy.
- Hamaguchi's candid admission that he would personally want to play a Final Fantasy 10 remake is not a corporate statement, but it lands with the credibility of someone who just spent years proving he knows how to honor a classic without betraying it.
- Final Fantasy 6 adds another layer of tension — fans relentlessly request it, Hamaguchi acknowledges its complexity, and even producer Yoshinori Kitase admits frustration that no greenlight exists.
- The success of FF7 Rebirth — praised for narrative confidence and creative risk-taking — has raised the bar for what a remake can be, making the question of which beloved title comes next feel more consequential than ever.
- Square Enix has made no official move, but the convergence of developer enthusiasm, fan demand, and demonstrated commercial and critical viability is quietly building a case that is difficult to ignore.
Naoki Hamaguchi, director of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, recently told Kinda Funny Games that he would love to play a full remake of Final Fantasy 10 — a statement that carries real weight coming from someone who has just spent years completing one of gaming's most ambitious remake projects.
The case for such a remake is not hard to make. Final Fantasy 10 still holds a 92 on Metacritic nearly a quarter-century after its 2001 release, yet its 2013 HD remaster left fans cold, its visual upgrades falling well short of modern expectations. That gap between enduring reputation and underwhelming remaster points to genuine demand for a ground-up reimagining.
Hamaguchi also acknowledged the persistent fan appetite for a Final Fantasy 6 remake, though he noted the development challenges it would pose. Producer Yoshinori Kitase has confirmed no greenlight exists for that project — a situation that apparently frustrates him as well.
Hamaguchi's instincts for this kind of work were shaped by years as a programmer across the entire Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, experience that taught him to see across disciplines — timelines, resources, workflow — the institutional knowledge a director needs when deciding how to honor a classic while making it genuinely new. FF7 Rebirth, praised for its narrative confidence and willingness to take creative risks, suggests he has mastered that balance.
For now, no official announcements have come from Square Enix. But when developers of Hamaguchi's caliber speak openly about what they wish existed, the conversation has a way of moving closer to reality.
Naoki Hamaguchi, the director behind Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, has signaled genuine interest in seeing Final Fantasy 10 remade from the ground up. In a recent conversation with Kinda Funny Games, when asked about the prospect of a full remake for the 2001 classic, Hamaguchi didn't hedge. He said he would love to play it himself—a simple statement that carries weight coming from someone who has just spent years shepherding one of gaming's most ambitious remake projects to completion.
The appetite for such a project appears real on multiple fronts. Final Fantasy 10 remains a critical darling, holding a 92 on Metacritic nearly a quarter-century after its original release. Yet the game's 2013 HD remaster left fans disappointed, its visual upgrades falling short of what modern audiences expect. That gap between the original's enduring reputation and the remaster's lukewarm reception suggests there's genuine demand for a proper, ground-up remake rather than a quick visual polish.
Hamaguchi also acknowledged that Final Fantasy 6 comes up constantly in conversations with players, though he noted that tackling such a project would present serious development challenges. The game's influence on how modern stories handle ensemble casts and multiple narrative threads is undeniable, which likely explains why fans keep circling back to it. Producer Yoshinori Kitase has confirmed that Square Enix hasn't greenlit a Final Fantasy 6 remake, a fact that apparently frustrates him as well.
Hamaguchi's perspective on remake work is informed by his own long journey through game development. He spent years as a programmer across all three entries in the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, a role that gave him hands-on experience across multiple disciplines. That foundation proved invaluable when he moved into directing Rebirth. He described how working across different developer roles on those earlier games taught him to see the bigger picture—how to estimate timelines, allocate resources, understand the workflow required to build different components of a game. That kind of institutional knowledge is exactly what a director needs when inheriting a beloved classic and deciding how to honor it while making it new.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth itself has proven that Hamaguchi's approach works. The game impressed critics with its narrative confidence and design sophistication, earning four and a half stars in reviews that praised its willingness to take creative risks with the source material. It's a gripping, well-paced adventure that respects the original while charting its own course—exactly the kind of balance that would be required for a Final Fantasy 10 remake to succeed.
For now, Square Enix has made no official announcement about remaking either Final Fantasy 10 or 6. But the combination of developer enthusiasm, critical legacy, and demonstrated fan appetite suggests these conversations are likely to continue. Hamaguchi's comments reveal that at least some of the people making these decisions are thinking about it too.
Notable Quotes
I would love to play that— Naoki Hamaguchi, on a possible Final Fantasy 10 remake
It would be a challenging development— Naoki Hamaguchi, on remaking Final Fantasy 6
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
When Hamaguchi says he'd love to play a Final Fantasy 10 remake, is he speaking as a fan or as someone sizing up a potential project?
Both, probably. He's clearly a fan—he wouldn't say it otherwise. But he's also someone who just finished a massive remake, so he's thinking about what that work actually entails. The comment carries weight because he knows what he's talking about.
Why does Final Fantasy 10 specifically matter enough to remake now, when it's already been remastered?
The remaster disappointed people. It looked dated even after the upgrade. But the original game itself is still beloved—92 on Metacritic. So there's this gap between how good the game is and how it looks. A real remake could close that gap.
He mentions Final Fantasy 6 would be challenging. What makes it harder than remaking 7 or 10?
Scale, probably. Final Fantasy 6 has this sprawling ensemble cast and a story structure that was revolutionary at the time. Translating that to modern systems without losing what made it special is genuinely complex work.
Does the fact that Hamaguchi worked on Final Fantasy 13 change how we should read his interest in these other remakes?
It shows he's thought deeply about how games get made. He's not just wishing out loud—he understands the resource commitment, the timeline, the coordination required. That makes his interest more credible.
Is Square Enix likely to actually make these remakes?
No official announcement yet, and that matters. But developer enthusiasm combined with fan demand usually matters to publishers. It's not a guarantee, but it's the kind of signal that gets noticed in planning meetings.