Square Enix announced its plans for PAX West 2025, which include multiple panels and a community meetup with photo opportunities, exclusive giveaways, meet-and-greets with Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles director Kazutoyo Maehiro and art director Hiroshi Minagawa, and other special guests. The Square Enix panels from PAX West 2025 will be hosted on PAX’s Twitch channel for those who can’t attend in person.
Get the full details below:
Storytime with Naoki Yoshida
Friday, August 29
11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. PDT
Main Theatre
Naoki Yoshida joins PAX West to share more about his experiences as a game developer. He’ll also share his thoughts on the evolution of the games industry and how it has affected projects he’s worked on such as FINAL FANTASY XIV and FINAL FANTASY XVI. There may even be an opportunity for some live Q&A!
The Making of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles
Saturday, August 30
2:00 p.m. -3:00 p.m. PDT
Blue Dragon Theatre
Calling all Tacticians of Ivalice! In anticipation of the upcoming FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles launch on Sep. 30, SQUARE ENIX invites fans for a special panel with Game Director Kazutoyo Maehiro (FINAL FANTASY Tactics, FINAL FANTASY XII, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, FINAL FANTASY XVI) and Art Director Hiroshi Minagawa (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, VAGRANT STORY, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, FINAL FANTASY XVI). The panel will discuss how the developers were able to bring the significantly enhanced version of the game to life and share some behind-the-scenes stories about the development of the genre-defining game. Hosted by the award-winning voice actor, Ben Starr (FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles, FINAL FANTASY XVI), this will be a panel that FINAL FANTASY fans cannot miss! Panel attendees will receive a special FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles branded pin.*
*Limited quantity / While supplies last.
The Relationship Between Game Design and Art Direction with Naoki Yoshida and Hiroshi Minagawa
Sunday, August 30
11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. PDT
Main Theatre
Naoki Yoshida (FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XVI) and Hiroshi Minagawa (FINAL FANTASY XVI, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS) team up to discuss the importance of art direction and design in world building and the creation of unique visual styles for our favorite medium. Learn more about their inspirations, experiences, creative processes, and more in this chat between legendary developers!
SQUARE ENIX Community Night
Saturday, August 30
7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. PDT
Location: To Be Announced through Eventbrite
SQUARE ENIX invites its passionate community to come celebrate all things FINAL FANTASY and DRAGON QUEST at PAX West 2025! Come celebrate fan favorite FINAL FANTASY XIV, FINAL FANTASY XVI, FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS, and the highly anticipated upcoming games including FINAL FANTASY TACTICS – The Ivalice Chronicles (out Sep. 30), DRAGON QUEST I & II HD-2D Remake (out Oct. 30), and FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE (out this winter for Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC)! The event will feature special guests: Naoki Yoshida, Kazutoyo Maehiro and Hiroshi Minagawa, as well as photo opportunities, giveaways and more. Tickets will be available to purchase on Eventbrite and will be required to enter the event.*
*Limited quantity / While supplies last.
PAX West will be held at the Seattle Convention Center from Aug. 29 to September 1, and more details can be found at https://west.paxsite.com/.
