Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy, said streaming poses a threat to RPGs because some players may watch a stream and feel satisfied without playing themselves.
Hamaguchi spoke in an interview after the reveal of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth at Summer Game Fest. He told 4Gamer that RPGs like Final Fantasy need to be careful about people watching streams instead of buying and playing the games.
“This is a bit of a crisis for the work itself, or rather, it’s not something game creators can wholeheartedly celebrate,” he said, according to a translation by Automaton.
Hamaguchi added that games should give players enough agency and high-stakes choices to inspire them to try the experience themselves. He noted the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy expands gameplay and story elements beyond the original game to encourage active participation.
Some earlier RPGs such as Persona 5 restricted livestreams at launch to avoid spoilers, though the industry has largely moved away from such measures.
