Final Fantasy 6 AI-Generated Trailer Sparks Controversy Among Fans and Creators

5 days ago 6

The Final Fantasy 6 AI Debacle Shows the Growing Divide Between Directors and Audiences

Published May 20, 2026, 12:58 PM EDT

Jake Valentine is a Staff Writer at DualShockers with more than two decades of experience covering the video game industry. Since 2004, he has written about games across news, reviews, guides, lists, interviews, and event coverage, with experience covering major shows, preview events, breaking news, and one-on-one developer interviews.

Before joining DualShockers, Jake contributed to Outrun Gaming, GameRant, and The Game Fanatics. He has also worked in editorial, brand management, and operations roles, giving him a broad perspective on both games coverage and digital media. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Media and Broadcasting.

Remakes and remasters are all the rage these days, especially in the world of Final Fantasy.

We're two-thirds of the way through the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy, with news for the third entry's name and release date hopefully coming soon. Rumors of a Final Fantasy 9 remake refuse to die as well.

For my money, one of the best Final Fantasy games is Final Fantasy 6, which was in the news recently for a fan-made trailer teasing what a possible remake could look like. There was just one problem: it was AI-generated.

Far Far West Publisher Takes Noble Stance Against GenAI

Fireshine Games' CEO says they don't want to work with anyone who relies on generative AI.

That didn't stop Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy franchise, from praising it on social media. As you could imagine, the reaction to that praise was pretty brutal. It's something that took Sakaguchi by surprise, as he further explained he was more impressed by the potential of what a Final Fantasy 6 remake could look like and wasn't necessarily praising the power of AI trailers.

Whoa!? What a wild reaction lol Well, it's like, "I just intuitively sensed the potential" or something

Sakaguchi further continued to say that "it's not gonna work as-is, but it feels like there might be some intriguing stuff waiting down the line...that's the vibe."

Sakaguchi's Reactions Show the Strong Anti-AI From Consumers

The initial reaction's vagueness is one reason why such an innocent-looking post has spiraled into an entire discourse.

I would love a remake of Final Fantasy 6. You would love a remake of Final Fantasy 6. It shouldn't be a surprise that the creator of the franchise would also love a remake of Final Fantasy 6. Naturally, fan reactions were quick to express disappointment about Sakaguchi seemingly praising an AI video, but one of the stronger responses came from Akitoshi Kawazu, the creator of SaGa:

No, Sakaguchi-san, please stop after the first line. By the way, the other day, I was chatting at a sushi restaurant with an MIT grad American who was in Shimokitazawa for tourism, and he said he likes FF6 and likes Mash. I do think 6 is definitely suited for a 3D remake.

Kawazu gives the full context for what Sakaguchi was most likely thinking with his original post: a Final Fantasy 6 remake with modern 3D graphics would look incredible, and there's a definite demand for it. However, given the trend of studios fully embracing AI, including Square Enix, you can see why the backlash took place.

Consumers are being incredibly vocal about their complete distaste for AI, as they should; generative AI slop will never replace human-made art. However, studio executives, for a variety of reasons, are content with shoving AI down our throats, despite all that pushback. When that type of environment exists, it's easy to understand why people immediately jumped the gun and assumed the creator of Final Fantasy was praising AI-slop.

At least I hope he's not praising AI-slop.