Final Fantasy XIV's Naoki Yoshida talks project management, 'small but big surprises' and 'planning years in advance'

Years ago, Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida quietly changed the perception of Final Fantasy XIV.

I was there at E3 when XIV debuted. I saw the grimacing faces of press and players alike, and witnessed the rocky launch. I was also there when it was quite literally "reborn," and experienced the drastic upgrade myself. Years later I would come to learn that Yoshi-P's light touch (alongside of his team) was responsible for the revival, and it seems like Square Enix noticed him too; as he's one of the developers heading up Final Fantasy XVI.

But before we shift some of our focus to XVI, I sat down with Yoshi-P to talk XIV: which still has plenty of life left in it.