MinnMax | Developer One-On-One: Final Fantasy XVI & Hi-Fi Rush - MinnMax Interview @minnmax | Uploaded April 2024 | Updated October 2024, 5 hours ago.
In this MinnMax Interview, Ben Hanson brings together the director and writer for Hi-Fi Rush John Johanas and the localization director for Final Fantasy XVI Michael-Christopher Koji Fox to talk about creating a game for a western audience inside a Japanese studio, the unseen challenges of localization, and whether Clive is dumber than Chai as a protagonist. This discussion contains spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI's main game (not the DLC) but we've marked them in the timecodes so you can skip them at your convenience. Support these one-on-one developer discussions directly by subscribing to MinnMax's YouTube channel or unlocking the podcast version at the $5 tier on Patreon. patreon.com/minnmax
To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:59 - Michael-Christopher Koji Fox Meets John Johanas
00:02:39 - What fascinated John about Final Fantasy XVI
00:05:25 - Creating Western-focused games in Japan
00:23:47 - Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI
00:26:12 - Boiling down the lore of Final Fantasy XVI
00:32:26 - The ripple effects of localization and small changes
00:35:10 - How to lip sync with multiple languages
00:40:29 - Hi-Fi Rush's lore bible
00:49:00 - How playtest impacts game dialogue
00:55:22 - Is Clive smarter than Chai?
00:58:38 - Spoiling one of the last lines in Final Fantasy XVI
01:00:43 - Breaking the fourth wall/comedic relief
01:03:05 - Animating Hi-Fi Rush
01:06:38 - Square-Enix's work from home policy
01:09:30 - Tango's work from home policy
01:11:42 - The relief of working on a game with a different tone
01:15:48 - Why Yoshi P and the team might want to work on a lighter game next
01:16:39 - Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI
01:17:12 - In conclusion
Follow us on Twitch - twitch.tv/minnmaxshow
Please support us on Patreon - patreon.com/minnmax
Our solo stream channel - youtube.com/@MinnMaxStreamArchives
Buy MinnMax merch here - minnmax.com/merch
Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/minnmaxshow
Go behind the scenes on Instagram - instagram.com/minnmaxshow
Become a Game Champion by supporting MinnMax at the $50 tier on Patreon and lock in the game of your choice! patreon.com/minnmax
Ghost of Tsushima - ProcyonNumber6
One Piece Pirate Warriors Four - Joshua Ayers
Berserk Boy - Malcolm Holliday
War of the Monsters - Michael Berry
Scarlet Hollow - ManifestEcho
Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition - PrettyGoodPrinting.com
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Kyle Silva
In this MinnMax Interview, Ben Hanson brings together the director and writer for Hi-Fi Rush John Johanas and the localization director for Final Fantasy XVI Michael-Christopher Koji Fox to talk about creating a game for a western audience inside a Japanese studio, the unseen challenges of localization, and whether Clive is dumber than Chai as a protagonist. This discussion contains spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI's main game (not the DLC) but we've marked them in the timecodes so you can skip them at your convenience. Support these one-on-one developer discussions directly by subscribing to MinnMax's YouTube channel or unlocking the podcast version at the $5 tier on Patreon. patreon.com/minnmax
To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:59 - Michael-Christopher Koji Fox Meets John Johanas
00:02:39 - What fascinated John about Final Fantasy XVI
00:05:25 - Creating Western-focused games in Japan
00:23:47 - Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI
00:26:12 - Boiling down the lore of Final Fantasy XVI
00:32:26 - The ripple effects of localization and small changes
00:35:10 - How to lip sync with multiple languages
00:40:29 - Hi-Fi Rush's lore bible
00:49:00 - How playtest impacts game dialogue
00:55:22 - Is Clive smarter than Chai?
00:58:38 - Spoiling one of the last lines in Final Fantasy XVI
01:00:43 - Breaking the fourth wall/comedic relief
01:03:05 - Animating Hi-Fi Rush
01:06:38 - Square-Enix's work from home policy
01:09:30 - Tango's work from home policy
01:11:42 - The relief of working on a game with a different tone
01:15:48 - Why Yoshi P and the team might want to work on a lighter game next
01:16:39 - Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI
01:17:12 - In conclusion
Follow us on Twitch - twitch.tv/minnmaxshow
Please support us on Patreon - patreon.com/minnmax
Our solo stream channel - youtube.com/@MinnMaxStreamArchives
Buy MinnMax merch here - minnmax.com/merch
Follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/minnmaxshow
Go behind the scenes on Instagram - instagram.com/minnmaxshow
Become a Game Champion by supporting MinnMax at the $50 tier on Patreon and lock in the game of your choice! patreon.com/minnmax
Ghost of Tsushima - ProcyonNumber6
One Piece Pirate Warriors Four - Joshua Ayers
Berserk Boy - Malcolm Holliday
War of the Monsters - Michael Berry
Scarlet Hollow - ManifestEcho
Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition - PrettyGoodPrinting.com
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Kyle Silva
