It seems as though one of the most popular game developers of today will be making a cameo appearance of sorts in Team Ninja’s upcoming action sequelNioh 2later this year.
As shared by user@HDKrinon Twitter, the latest developer stream forNioh 2announced the results of thecharacter creationcontest that had been held in recent months. One of the winners for the contest was a character design that was based on Naoki Yoshida, the director of Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy XIV.
Team Ninja ended up approaching the beloved director, who often goes by the nickname Yoshi-P, and asked him for approval to use his likeness in the final release ofNioh 2based on this design. Yoshida ended up giving his approval and now, he’ll be one of the pre-set character templates that you can choose from in the finished version of the game.
This is kind of a strangely hilarious crossover to see occur, especially given thatNioh 2andFinal Fantasy XIVare pretty much polar opposites when it comes to the genres that they occupy. Still, it can’t be denied just how popular Yoshida has become in recent years. Yoshida was placed in charge ofFinal Fantasy XIVafter the game’s dismal launch in 2010 and along with the rest of his team, drastically ended up turning the title around. Now,Final Fantasy XIVis considered one of, if not the best, current MMORPG on the market. As such, Yoshi-P has become adored by fans for creating such an enthrallingFinal Fantasyexperience.
Yoshida’s inclusion inNioh 2also makes me think of other famous game devs that might be able to be re-created in the title’s character creator. Obvious inclusions that I expect many fans might try to create once the game launches would beHideo Kojima,Masahiro Sakurai, or even Shigeru Miyamoto.
Personally, I think it’d be funniest though if someone could make a character that looks likeTodd Howard.There’s just something about Howard that comes across as goofy to me, and I’m not really sure why. Imagining him hacking up yokai with a samurai sword seems funny in my head. Maybe that’s what I’ll attempt to make my own character look like when I dive intoNioh 2in just a few short months.
Nioh 2is slated to release later this year on June 29, 2025, exclusively for the PS4.Final Fantasy XIV, on the other hand, is presently available to play on PS4 and PC. The game’s latest expansion,Shadowbringers,launched last year and has once again breathed new life into the MMO.
