"I love that sense of freedom and choice": Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director says his favorite Xbox series is Fable, and the action RPGs have "had a positive influence on my own creative work"

Final Fantasy 7 Remake co-director and Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi has praised the Fable series, and is excited for the upcoming reboot.

After over five years of waiting, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is almost on Xbox, with the launch set for January 22, 2026 (alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 edition), with its sequel Rebirth and the eventual (yet-unnamed) third entry both confirmed for the platform.

Talking to Windows Central, Hamaguchi speaks about his relationship with Xbox as a platform, and while it's not his decision which games do come to Xbox and which don't, he notes that "I'm definitely an Xbox fan myself. I'm going to do my best to make sure that Square Enix can continue to reach a wider audience, including Xbox."

He's then asked which titles inspired him as a game creator, and while the question wasn't strictly about Xbox, he says: "Since we're talking Xbox, I'd like to share my favorite Xbox title." Given that he's the director of one of the most iconic JRPGs of all time, you might have thought that the likes of Lost Odyssey or Blue Dragon would be name dropped, it was actually a different kind of RPG.

"I absolutely love the Fable series." Hamaguchi says, "I love that sense of freedom and choice, and how the player's actions really impact the world." He adds that "Fable has had a positive influence on my own creative work."

And as for the new Fable that is set to release in the near future, Hamaguchi said, "I'm eagerly awaiting it. Looking forward to it."

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director would love to work on "something completely new" after a decade of FF7, but if he had to choose another remake it would be Final Fantasy 6.