Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase has cited Star Wars as a major influence on his work, pointing to both character names in Final Fantasy VII and the idea behind Blitzball in Final Fantasy X.
Speaking with IGN’s Michael Peyton at the 2026 Lucca Comics & Games Festival, Kitase was asked about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and its influences from Final Fantasy. He said he was pleased that the RPG had drawn inspiration from the series and found success, adding that his own games were shaped by entertainment he enjoyed when he was younger, especially Star Wars.
Kitase said he tried to avoid borrowing too directly from the sci-fi franchise, since the result could feel like a copy. Still, he described Biggs and Wedge in Final Fantasy VII as clear nods to characters associated with the Star Wars rebellion.
He also traced Blitzball, the sport featured in Final Fantasy X, to the pod race in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Kitase said the idea of placing a sport within a fantasy setting came from that sequence.
Kitase described creative influence as a cycle in which creators take inspiration from one another, calling that exchange a positive part of making games.
Sources: IGN.