How ‘Final Fantasy 14’ breaks all the rules of video game music
When it first launched in 2010, multiplayer online game Final Fantasy 14 was a commercial and critical disaster. Riddled with bugs, impossible to navigate and missing a lot of key content, the series’ latest instalment, in which players try to save the world from an ancient evil, flopped hard. That is, until a totally rebuilt version hit shelves in 2013 and turned it into the most profitable FF game in history, with more than 30million active users as of January 2025 and five major expansions added in the years since.
Without a rigid set of quests to follow, players take on titan-sized bosses in mystical dungeons before returning to their adorable home-away-from-home to rearrange their furniture. What helps it all feel part of the same world is the brilliant music from Masayoshi Soken. The massive soundtrack features hectic, guitar-driven hype tracks, majestic bursts of orchestration and even the ability for players to make their own music via one of the 24 instruments that can be unlocked.
Speaking to NME, Soken describes his masterpiece as a “Final Fantasy theme park” with reworked music from classic entries in the series used throughout his score. “It’s important for me to remember the emotions I had when I first played those games. I want to take the inspiration I felt back then, and bring it into the now,” he says, hoping his music can inspire a new generation. ”My greatest hope is to see new media born out of the game.”
Soken also created the soundtrack to 2023’s single-player epic Final Fantasy 16 – and frequently performs at Distant Worlds, a Final Fantasy concert show that’s been touring since 2007. On top of that, he occasionally plays shows with The Primals, a band of game developers who give beloved Final Fantasy songs a metal-flavoured facelift. As Final Fantasy 14 enters its 16th year, Soken tells us why there’s still plenty for him to do in the land of Hydaelyn.
Soken’s inspiration comes from the unlikeliest of places
Even the most prolific of bands would struggle to keep up with Soken’s output over the past 15 years. What keeps him going? “It’s important to get daily stimulation,” he says. “It doesn’t need to be anything special either.” Yesterday, he drank some good sherry and a really nice Irish coffee. “I got a lot of inspiration from that.”
He also takes inspiration from his own listening habits, with his Final Fantasy soundtracks featuring everything from orchestral music to rock and pop. “Growing up, I always listened to classical music and as a student, it was a lot of rock. As I got older, I started listening to jazz and bossa nova”. Those broad listening habits (which he calls “Soken-style”) make it easy for him to tap into whichever direction the next expansion is heading.
He’s a rock and roll rebel at heart
Right now though, he’s listening to a lot of Rage Against The Machine, The Hives and Japanese metal band Suspended 4th. The same snarling energy can be heard in fan-favourite Final Fantasy tracks ‘Find The Flame’, ‘Shadowbringers’ and ‘Endwalker – Footfalls’. “I don’t know why Final Fantasy matches so well with that type of music but, to me, it felt like the game experience was asking for rock.”
There are plenty of classically trained musicians that work with Soken to create the music of Final Fantasy 14, but he’s not afraid of doing things away from plush recording studios either. The sound of a pill rattling around an empty noodle tub has made it into the game’s score, and he once banged his wastepaper bin instead of using a proper drum. “I’m getting rid of all the rules,” Soken says of his approach.
Performing live is the perfect celebration of Final Fantasy 14’s huge community
“I see music as a tool to give people a better gaming experience. It’s something that can be used to move a player’s heart,” Soken explains. Getting to leave the office and perform at events such as Distant Worlds keeps him energised and excited about his job. “I’m really able to see people’s reactions and what music does well in a particular moment.
“Final Fantasy 14 obviously has a lot of people coming together online but to have that community in the same room, united through music, is the best. It’s a reminder that we are all connected.”
“With a normal concert, everyone has a different experience of the same song but with a video game concert like Distant Worlds, everyone has had the exact same experience,” he continues. “It makes people incredibly empathetic towards each other. They know they’re all feeling the same emotion, and that’s a special space [to be in].”
He gets a similar thrill of connection when he performs with The Primals. “Normally the artist onstage is the protagonist but with those shows, the player’s game experiences are the protagonists. We’re just there to light a fire towards their memories.” The band has just announced their first tour in seven years – a whistle-stop run through Japan. Soken says he’d love to hit the road properly with The Primals and a European tour is top of his wishlist. As a full-time sound director for Final Fantasy, finding the time is tricky.
Soken is already working on his next project
Soken has been sharing photos of him at work in the studio on social media, with cryptic messages like “it’s finally coming to an end…” and “I started something” but he isn’t spoiling anything today. “I’m sorry, I really can’t say what I’m working on right now. I’m recording something though,” he confirms, adding that it “potentially” feels new. He’s just as tight-lipped when it comes to introducing new collaborators to the world of Final Fantasy 14. Pop-punk vocalist and unofficial queen of video game soundtracks Chrissy Costanza recorded ‘Give It All’ for Dawntrail’s end-game Arcadion raid last year, but Soken will only say there are “a lot of artists that I would love to bring in” when we ask who’s next. “I don’t want to create expectations.”
It makes sense to keep schtum, because Final Fantasy fans can be very precious about the music that weaves its way throughout the game. The various soundtracks have racked up millions of streams on Spotify and Distant Worlds has been touring for the past 18 years. “It’s proof that the game experience was strong and the music really moved them.”
Square Enix hasn’t announced what’s next for Final Fantasy 14 but last year, game director Naoki Yoshida said that he’s currently working on the story for the next three expansions after Dawntrail kickstarted a new era. “I just want to give people a higher level of game experience, so that’s where I’m putting all my efforts at the moment,” says Soken when asked about his plans for the future of Final Fantasy 14. “Everyone involved in making it is facing up to a challenge. I guess the only rule for us is to definitely challenge [expectations].”
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