Creating The Art Of Final Fantasy 9 - MinnMax Interview
306In the new MinnMax Interview, Ben Hanson speaks with Cecil Kim (studio art director for Thatgamecompany) and Wevr's director/executive producer Jake Rowell about their time working on Squaresoft's Final Fantasy 9. They talk about the incredible team Squaresoft built up in Hawaii, the technology behind the game's background art, and why the game has a special spot in so many people's hearts. We also talk about Cecil's work on the God of War series and Jake's contributions to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and The Animatrix. You can help support more content like this by subscribing to MinnMax's YouTube channel or by unlocking the podcast version of our interviews on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/minnmax
To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:47 - Cecil Kim and Jake Rowell
00:03:41 - Parasite Eve and Cecil’s journey to Squaresoft
00:07:02 - How Jake was recruited for Final Fantasy 9
00:10:04 - Final Fantasy XI’s Hawaiin development
00:12:59 - Final Fantasy 9’s art director Hideo Minaba
00:15:00 - The origins of Final Fantasy 9
00:21:10 - Swapping directors for Final Fantasy 9
00:25:47 - The Hawaiin studio culture
00:29:39 - How the background art was created for Final Fantasy 9
00:33:36 - Showing off Jake’s art
00:35:46 - The tech of Final Fantasy 9
00:42:53 - Showing off Cecil’s art
00:46:10 - Preserving Final Fantasy 9’s early art for history
00:49:46 - Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within’s development
00:57:47 - Squaresoft closing Final Fantasy 9’s studio
01:01:20 - The legacy of Final Fantasy 9
01:03:24 - Thoughts on a remake or adaptation
01:04:57 - Working on The Animatrix
01:09:09 - Cecil’s work on the God of War series
01:13:29 - Working with Jon Favreau in VR
01:15:50 - In conclusion
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