Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director says he wasn't telling PC players "not to use mods" when asking down-bad modders to keep it clean. While Naoki Hamaguchi still advises you to research what you download – "there are mods that could shock some players" – he respects the life modding communities breathe into games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout long after release.
Last December, Hamaguchi asked modders "not to create or install anything offensive or inappropriate" in an interview. And you can see why – brooding Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive was swiftly unrobed when the action game hit PCs, after all. Given the chance to clarify his position further, Hamaguchi tells Automaton that he sees modding as a "positive thing" and uses the odd mod himself, just, you know, be careful out there.
"I wasn’t trying to tell people not to use mods," he says. "It was more about being mindful. Both creators and users alike should ensure mods don’t detract from the intended game experience."
Hamaguchi acknowledges the range of mods available, from helpful UI customizations to "extreme" costume changes and reverse engineering, though it's the latter sort he's been referring to. "There are mods that could shock some players, so I encourage users to research what they’re installing and for creators to be mindful of their audience," he says.
Can the raging thirst of the Final Fantasy fandom be contained on PC? No. Still, I respect the point Hamaguchi is trying to get across. Horny mods aside, Hamaguchi appreciates what a modding community can do to keep breathing new life into a game long after its release.
“Mods have played a significant role in the rise of the PC market," he says. "Look at series like Fallout or The Elder Scrolls – even years after release, new mods breathe life into these games, making players want to come back to them."
So there you have it. Hamaguchi seems on board with the sweeping range of benefits that a modding community brings. Just, you know, consider what your search preferences are when scouring mod websites.
