The Square Enix team working on Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles faced a notable challenge: they had to reconstruct the game’s source code entirely. According to Bloomberg, the game’s director Kazutoyo Maehiro revealed in an interview with Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier that the process of designing The Ivalice Chronicles, slated for release later this month, was unexpectedly challenging.

According to Bloomberg, the original source code was lost due to the industry’s inconsistent practices in the 1990s. The team, led by maehiro, had to recreate the code by playing the original 1997 game, examining the master disc, and studying the 2011 version, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Maehiro also mentioned at a PAX West 2025 panel that fan-made databases provided valuable information.

Character Balancing Act

“his role in the story is being that very powerful character who joins your party.”

Maehiro told Bloomberg that there were discussions about Count Cidolfus Orlandeau, also known as Cid or Thunder God Cid, a character often criticized by fans for being too powerful. Instead of weakening Cid,the team chose to maintain his power level to accurately reflect his role in the storyline. To address concerns about Cid’s strength, they decided to enhance the abilities of other characters.

According to Bloomberg, Maehiro also suggested that sequels to the Final Fantasy Tactics series or new strategy RPGs might be developed if The Ivalice Chronicles performs well.