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The Final Fantasyseries might have a specific genre of fiction in its title, but it has switched to telling sci-fi stories on numerous occasions. In fact, it took the impending release of The Lord of the Rings to convince Square Enix to stick with fantasy after the tail-end of the PS1 era.
The first six Final Fantasy games were firmly rooted in fantasy, with the odd dip into sci-fi, such as the Lunar Whale ship or the robotic Warmech. Final Fantasy 7 used the PlayStation's hardware to bring its dystopian sci-fi setting to life, and fans ate it up, making it the second best-selling title on the system, which is why Final Fantasy 8 also featured a high-tech world. Final Fantasy 9 was all fantasy, but the franchise only continued down that path because of Frodo and his friends.
Final Fantasy 10 Switched Genres Because Of The Lord Of The Rings
It's well-known among fans that Final Fantasy 10 underwent a ton of changes during development, as the producers toyed with various settings and plotlines. It turns out that a movie series that hadn't even been released would help cement the game's direction, as an interview with Final Fantasy 10 Director Yoshinori Kitase on the official Final Fantasy website has confirmed that The Lord of the Rings made the producers drop sci-fi and embrace a supernatural world.
"During development, we initially took a more sci-fi approach at first," Kitase said, "But when we thought about what would be trending in Hollywood around the time of FFX’s release, we learned that The Lord of the Rings was in production. So we thought fantasy was going to be the next big global trend, and that was one of the reasons we decided to go with fantasy rather than sci-fi."
It turned out that the decision to emulate The Lord of the Rings was a smart one, as the movie series was a smash hit and created interest in the fantasy genre, especially among the general public. The big difference is that Final Fantasy 10 took a ton of inspiration from mythologies in different countries in Asia, rather than the Medieval Europe aesthetic that is so closely associated with Tolkien's work.
Final Fantasy 10 Could Have Been A Very Different Game
The various official Final Fantasy 10 guides released over the years have revealed key details about the game's story. The initial idea for the game was that it was set in a world where people died when they reached the age of 17, not unlike the story that would later be used in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. A lot of the early concept art is still recognizable as Final Fantasy 10, but there's more technology on display.
If The Lord of the Rings hadn't been in production when Final Fantasy 10 was being developed, then the world of Spira would have looked very different. It's possible that the age gimmick would be dropped regardless of the genre, but the characters and setting could have gone the sci-fi route, which may not have resonated with the audience in the same way as the timeless tale of Tidus and Yuna fans still love today.
