Hajime Tabata Crisis Core Interview

***NOTE: There are some CRISIS CORE-related spoilers in this section of Q&A***

Hajime Tabata, director of CRISIS CORE (FINAL FANTASY VII), talks to SQUARE ENIX MEMBERS about the world of CRISIS CORE and the FINAL FANTASY VII franchise. This interview can be found on Square Enix Members website, but for those of you whom don’t have an account heres the full questions and answers.

Q. How much freedom did you have with CRISIS CORE in expanding the FINAL FANTASY VII world? Did you feel restricted in any way by the sheer fame and popularity of the characters and story?

Tabata: For the canonical FINAL FANTASY VII lore and characters, we were careful to remain faithful to the original, but we generally had free license for the new material. As for the huge fan support that FINAL FANTASY VII enjoys, we felt it was more of an inspiration than a restriction.

Q. Did you see any conflicts between the storyline in CRISIS CORE and the explanation of events in FINAL FANTASY VII? What was the challenge behind developing a prequel to one of the most beloved and well-known FINAL FANTASY titles?

Tabata: For any new elements to the lore, we avoided contradictions by introducing new characters. In any case, the CRISIS CORE storyline was overseen by Mr. (Kazushige) Nojima, who also handled the original FINAL FANTASY VII story, so we did not encounter many problems.

Q. During Chapter Five of CRISIS CORE when Zack, Tseng and the rest get in the helicopter that transports them to Modeoheim, who or what shoots them down?

Tabata: Zack (and the others) do not know, but Genesis’s army was responsible for the attack.

Q. What is the Gift of the Goddess that’s being mentioned in CRISIS CORE? Do you mean those Dumbapples?

Tabata: It does not point to one specific thing. It varies according to people’s perceptions and desires.

Q. CRISIS CORE ends with the words “To be continued.” Is the Compilation of FINAL FANTASY VII complete, or are there more projects in the works?

Tabata: The “To be continued” at the end means that the story of CRISIS CORE will continue in FINAL FANTASY VII. At the same time, it does not signify the end of the FINAL FANTASY VII saga.

Q. Given the amount of success that the FINAL FANTASY VII franchise has attained, what is the likelihood of another FINAL FANTASY VII-related movie to be produced?

Tabata: I would not discount the possibility.

Q. How has the FINAL FANTASY VII franchise affected your life?

Tabata: The initial impact of FINAL FANTASY VII upon its release in Japan affected me greatly. Since that day, it has been my goal to create a game with as huge an impact as FINAL FANTASY VII. It also instilled within me a great amount of respect for the talent and innovation of the people at Square Enix, which is why I work here today. My first experience working on an FINAL FANTASY VII series title came 10 years after the release of the original game, but I was stunned to discover how large and loyal the fanbase still is. It is this kind of remarkable support from the users that continually inspires us to work on and expand the series.

Q. How do you come up with stories or game play ideas? Is there anything in particular that you do to keep your mind creative?

Tabata: The usual procedure is to put a general image of the final product into a project proposal, then attempt to work in various ideas for each aspect of the game in a short time. In my case, these ideas come from everything in my past experience, so there is no specific method that I use to enhance the creative process.

Q. Who do you look up to, or do you have anyone who has influenced your life?

Tabata: There is a very popular Japanese comic that I read as a child called Doraemon, and it features highly innovative items “from the 22nd Century.” The concepts in that comic really influenced my thoughts on what it means to “create” something.

Q. What do you like to do when you are not working? What’s your hidden talent and/or hobby?

Tabata: I sometimes become very interested in one thing and end up devoting all my time off to it. I have always been a fan of movies and high-tech gadgets, so I guess you can call those my hobbies.

Q. Zach can do a lot of squats, but how many squats can you do?

Tabata: In succession, I would say 50 is my limit.

Q. When you take a shower, do you use a full bottle of shampoo like Sephiroth does?

Tabata: I would say I use a little more than Rude.

Q. If you could work on a prequel/sequel to any other FINAL FANTASY title, which one would it be and why?

Tabata:FINAL FANTASY VII is the only series I really wanted to work on where I was not involved in the original title. A concept that might interest me is a gun-action game set in the VII world using a completely new character that uses both guns and magic.

Q. What is your next project?

Tabata: I am currently working on multiple titles, including FINAL FANTASY agito13. I am trying very hard to make all of these titles appeal greatly to North American users, so please keep your eyes open for them in the future!

Source: http://member.square-enix.com/na/