At Tokyo Game Show 2025, we sat down with Director Kazutoyo Maehiro and Producer Shoichi Matsuzawa to discuss Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, the long-awaited remake of the beloved tactical RPG.

Maehiro joined Square Enix back in 1995 and was involved in titles such as the original Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XIV Online, Final Fantasy XII, and, most recently, the Creative Director of Final Fantasy XVI. Matsuzawa served as the Lead Project Manager for Final Fantasy XIV Online.

Both developers shared their insights on adding voice acting to Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, visual direction, gameplay refinements, and the delicate balance between honoring the original and modernizing for today’s players.

Casting Voices for Iconic Characters

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is adding a host of new upgrades to modernize the game, but arguably one of the biggest additions is that of fully voiced lines for characters.

While fans may have their own wishes and expectations, Maehiro acknowledged the challenge of meeting fan expectations for character voices:

“It has been 30 years since the original game had released. I do understand and believe that each fan and each player might have an idea within their own respective minds about what each of the characters should sound like. Of course, it might not perfectly match what every player out there might be envisioning, but we did do our best to ensure that the casting reflects the image that people might have for these characters voices.”

He added that original scenario writer Yasumi Matsuno was involved in the Japanese casting process to ensure authenticity.

“We also made sure to involve Matsuno-san, who was the scriptwriter for the original game. So when it came to the Japanese version of the game, we do feel that we were definitely able to cast talent who matches the idea of what the character should look like and do our best to make sure that there wasn’t a discrepancy.”

Indeed, after playing parts of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, the voice acting really elevated the experience, offering players the feel of a high budget product that was immersive as it was engrossing. Maehiro discussed how voice acting reshaped the game’s storytelling:

“We did decide that we wanted to add full voice support. Given that, we reassessed the overall script. The original game didn’t include any voiceover, and the dialogue was written and meant to be read. If you were to read it as-is, it would come across as unnatural. So we made refinements and adjustments.”

“There’s more exchanges shown between the characters. You might be able to discover another layer to the emotions of the characters that you might not have felt in the original. We combed through the pacing and delivery in a very detailed manner to ensure the tempo feels natural and has momentum.”

Additionally, when asked about working with the likes of Ben Starr, Maehiro had nothing but praise, but also first recognized that them working on other Final Fantasy projects helped them figure out how they portrayed characters.

“Many of them have been involved in other projects of ours, which helped give us a clear idea of their voice and quirks… When it comes to the casting for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, we let the casting process happen regardless whether or not they had been involved in past Final Fantasy titles.”

“We really wanted to cast characters based on the vision that we had. Ben Starr is playing Dycedarg. We searched for talent who matched our idea of what these characters would sound like.”

Matsuzawa also noted that they specifically requested British English actors instead of American English for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

“We requested British English actors instead of American English actors because the game has a medieval setting, and we felt that would be a more fitting casting choice.”

Balancing Remake vs. Remaster

Maehiro also explained the team’s approach to preserving the original experience while modernizing gameplay for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

“The main ambition or goal that we had was wanting to make sure that current players and newer players would be able to pick it up and give it a try… We wanted to make sure we were respecting and paying homage to the original Final Fantasy Tactics and the excellent game design and deep story that it has to offer.”

“If you were to add new features, that could potentially undermine the original game design. So rather than doing that, we focused on adding features that helped improve playability and quality of life.“

“For hardcore fans who wouldn’t want any adjustment made to the original experience, we created the classic version that is a much more faithful recreation.”

Job System and Difficulty Options

When asked if any new jobs were added, Maehiro mentioned that they believed that the overall game balance and design was already refined as is and no changes were made to Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

“We don’t have new jobs added, however, we have made adjustments to jobs and abilities so there is a bigger sense of playability.

Maehiro also continued to explain the difficulty options that players of all kinds would enjoy.

“In the classic version, you can experience the game as it was back then. The enhanced version of the game has three difficulty settings that players can choose from, for those who want to enjoy the story versus those who are hardcore completionists We have three different settings for those players to enjoy.”

Explaining Complex Mechanics

One question that was asked was about the long-standing confusion around systems like Zodiac compatibility and Brave/Faith stats, which were never explained properly before. Maehiro answered that it has now been explained better through various means.

“In the original game, these mechanics weren’t well explained. For The Ivalice Chronicles, we did ensure that there are explanations and guides scattered throughout the game.”

“Within the Brave Story menu, we“Within the Brave Story or Chronicle menu, we have explanations for parameters like Brave and Faith. Even expected damage output is shown on screen. That sort of assistance or help is definitely in this game and I feel that players will have an even more enjoyable experience.”

Switch 1 and 2 Strategy

Matsuzawa briefly touched on the decision to have the the Switch 2 version of the game be a download code rather than a game key card, and it’s partly because many people still play on the Switch 1 as the Switch 2 has not been as widely distributed yet.

The development team wanted to ensure that players can upgrade should they choose to purchase a Switch 2 soon.

“We wanted to ensure an upgrade path for players moving from Switch 1 to Switch 2. We don’t have availability to go with a key card, and production costs for cartridges are higher. We wanted to deliver a physical version for the Switch 2, but when we take all that into account, the option that we had was to just go with a download code.”

Final Thoughts from the Developers

Maehiro closed the session with heartfelt gratitude for fans in Asia:

“I hope everyone will have a chance to experience the outstanding game design and story that Final Fantasy Tactics has to offer. We really weren’t expecting to see this much of a positive response. Thank you so much for your support.”

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With thoughtful enhancements and a deep respect for its source material, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is shaping up to be a definitive edition of a tactical RPG classic.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, Switch 2, and PC via Steam on September 30, 2025.