“I would love to see a new story set in Ivalice” – Hitoshi Sakimoto on His Career, 13 Sentinels, Ogre Battle, The Colors of Harmony Concert, and More

RPG Site: For those who don't know you, tell us a little bit about yourself, how you became a composer, and Basiscape.

Hitoshi Sakimoto: My name is Hitoshi Sakimoto and I've worked on several projects in the industry. I also have my own company called Basiscape that focuses on not just music, but anything sound related for people to experience in the entertainment and gaming industry.

I started out as a fan of games. As a game otaku. I also loved PCs so I was also a computer otaku. I also did some programming and made some games and business software, myself. I was in a team working on a game, but there was no sound engineer. Since I had a lot of interest in music, I stepped in and decided to become the sound engineer of the team. 

I worked on audio programs within the team, but also music and sound effects. Over time I naturally started doing more music and became a composer because of that. When I was in my 20s, someone actually turned around and called me a composer for the very first time. I was actually quite surprised and thought "Hold on a second, I guess I'm a composer now." 

RPG Site: Did you do any formal training at that point or were you only self-taught?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: I actually just went to a normal music class that a regular Japanese student would attend. I did not go to a specific music education school and I didn't have any specific music training at that point. However, I actually studied sciences, and one of the things I was trying to do is use math to create music, but it was lacking something. 

I found out that you can't make music with math, so I decided to try and make music with emotion, and that's how I became a composer. 

RPG Site: Looking back at the many, many, many titles you've composed over your soon to be 40-year career, would you say that Ogre Battle specifically was a turning point for your personal career?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: Yeah. Of course. That was a turning point. It was the first time I was asked to do orchestra style music for battles. Before that I had done drum ‘n’ bass or guitar-style tracks. For Ogre Battle, I was told by the director to make it an orchestra-style, and I didn't even have much time for it. 

So in a short time, I was asked to do an orchestra-style music arrangement. After that I got asked to do much more of it. So Ogre Battle was basically a turning point in my career. 

RPG Site: When you're approached for new projects or new soundtracks, how do you balance retaining what people love about your music, and still delivering something new?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: A soundtrack is sometimes something to just underline or hype-up the overall storyline of a game, but it might not be a collection of songs that you sit down with and enjoy as standalone music pieces. I actually want to also have it like a standalone music piece that can stand on its own. 

Generally when a game is made, the directors almost never say that they are going to make something that already exists. They generally say they are going to make something different. Something new. That's the same way for music. No one comes to me and asks me to make something similar or same as something I've worked on before. 

My music is different. It is rare for me to get asked to do something I had created before because everyone wants the music to be new and different when it is made. And that's what I do. 

Instead of having to think about how to make it different from what I've done before, it is more about making something new with the development team. They will usually come together and have a meeting, discussing how to express what kind of setting we have, what kind of period the game is set in, and then the challenge is to take all of that in and decide how we want to express it in the best way possible, not just in the game, but also with the music in the game. 

That is when we decide the composition of the instrument or the music style. 

RPG Site: Since we're on the topic of a specific setting, how has it been working on so many titles led by Yasumi Matsuno and set in Ivalice?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: Matsuno-san is very knowledgeable about music. So knowledgeable that he actually plays the clarinet in a brass band. Instead of having very small requests like do this and do that, he is more like a person who explains the basic setting which includes everything he wants, and just says, "Just do it!"

When I compose a song, and bring it all together then demo it to him, he generally doesn't show a big reaction. He goes like "Oh okay." You can't expect a big reaction from him. He's not a man of big reactions, but he's very knowledgeable in music and therefore he won't make any unreasonable requests. 

There was actually a situation where I composed a song and Matsuno-san was like, "No, not like that." Then he moved as if he was going to sit down and play the piano, and then he gave up *laughs* Then I thought, "Well, you go and compose a song then if you think you can do it better." *laughs* That's the type of person that he is.

RPG Site: When I played Final Fantasy XII for the first time, the soundtrack was very different compared to what I had heard from the series before. This was obviously not your first Final Fantasy soundtrack, but since it was a numbered entry, did you feel extra pressure on yourself?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: I think I was asked by Matsuno-san to make it orchestra-style, but I'm not 100% sure. I also was told, "Don't align it too much with Uematsu-san's style. Make your own music." 

As a Final Fantasy fan myself, but also as a fan of Uematsu-san, when I was told to compose my own soundtrack, I felt like it should have a bit of that Final Fantasy style that we love. I did try and compose a song in the Final Fantasy style that we knew up until then, but I actually failed, and that's why I decided to go ahead and compose my own soundtrack, like I had been told from the start by Matsuno-san. 

RPG Site: How did it feel revisiting the Final Fantasy XII soundtrack when Square Enix did the remaster, and the new orchestral soundtrack?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: When they made Final Fantasy XII at the start, there was only a budget for the opening and the ending in an orchestra-style. When the remaster was coming out, there was a budget for making more orchestral songs. The producer at the time was Mr Kato, and Mr Kato was a good producer because he allocated the right amount of budget for the music, and told me to make all of it orchestral music, and that made me very happy that I could make it all orchestral for the remaster.

RPG Site: Would you like to revisit the Ogre Battle or Tactics Ogre for a new game? 

Hitoshi Sakimoto: I believe Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre have the same world. Anything in the world setting of Ogre Battle would be nice to revisit again. For example, the first game in the series had a setting where there are many heroes and they all follow their own pathways, but by the things that they do, they change history.

It has a very heavy story, but what I liked about it is despite the heavy story and that world. The characters are actually quite laid-back and easygoing. They're quite optimistic. I actually like that. Even though it is a tough setting and story, the positivity of it makes it enjoyable. I would like to make something for that world setting again.

[Editor's Note: We were discussing the Ivalice setting here and revisiting it alongside other games Hitoshi Sakimoto worked on. He ended up talking about why he liked Ogre Battle more here and the question has been rephrased after editing.]

RPG Site: If you had a choice to return to Ogre Battle or a new Final Fantasy Tactics, which would you want to do?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: Given what we've spoken about so far and what I've said, I would choose Ogre Battle.

RPG Site: How did you get in touch with Game Music Festival for The Colors of Harmony?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: The first contact was via email, I believe, but I’ve been speaking with the organiser, Marius, for several years now about how to make this concert happen.

RPG Site: How does it feel to celebrate 40 years of your career?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: Ever since I was a teenager, I've worked on the games and other projects that we've discussed so far in this interview. I'm the kind of person who focuses 100% on what is right in front of me. Suddenly it has been 40 years! It is a bit of a surprise. 

RPG Site: Looking back at the last few years of your career, how does it feel going into The Colors of Harmony: Hitoshi Sakimoto 40th Anniversary Celebration?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: To be honest, I’ve rarely looked back on my past work until now. As I’ve been shaping the content of this concert, I’ve been thinking about the people who love my music, and that has made me feel very positive. It’s also given me renewed motivation and courage for my future work. I’m truly grateful, and I can’t wait to share this with everyone and celebrate together.

RPG Site: This will be an event many of your fans will be travelling to from all over the world. Do you have a message for those who will be attending, and also for those who cannot make it in person?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: I believe this will be a truly wonderful concert, and I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone there. I hope we can all enjoy it together. For those who can’t attend, I would be very grateful for your support so that we can create more opportunities like this in the future.

RPG Site: You have created so much music set in the world of Ivalice, and it will also be featured in this concert. Would you like to return to that setting for a new game if given the opportunity?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: The world of Ivalice, created by Mr Matsuno, is grand and sometimes harsh, but also full of warmth and human emotion. It’s a very unique setting. Personally, I would love to see a new story set in Ivalice.

RPG Site: The concert will feature performances of music that many fans probably have never seen performed live ever. What songs from your career are you looking forward to seeing the most at The Colors of Harmony: Hitoshi Sakimoto 40th Anniversary Celebration?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: There will be some music from Vagrant story, the first time it has ever been played live. I'm looking forward to seeing that. 

RPG Site: How do you feel thinking about the Vagrant Story soundtrack now? Would you ever do a full orchestral new recording of that album if you had the chance?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: I’m not in a position to speak about Square Enix’s future plans, but Vagrant Story includes many pieces that would require very challenging orchestration. If I were to record it again, I would want to do so with a large percussion setup.

RPG Site: You like sci-fi settings a lot, but you also are known for orchestral music. I loved the 13 Sentinels soundtrack which combined elements of both together. Given a choice, to do more of that, would you like to revisit the 13 Sentinels music and what is your favorite song in the soundtrack? 

Hitoshi Sakimoto: The one I like the most is the main theme because the game boots up and you push the start button and that['s the very first song that comes on. I wrote that vocal song five years before the game was released.

When Kamitani-san (George Kamitani from Vanillaware) was starting the project, I spoke to him about it when they started to sit down and work together on the game. Generally a game of that nature can take up to 10 years to develop so I heard about it way before they started actively working on it. That's why the song was written five years prior to the actual release. 

At that point in time, it was 10 years prior to the release, so about one or two games before 13 Sentinels, I then started writing the key music, but the theme and especially because it has vocals in it, really summarize the game or symbolize the cool aspects of the game. 

RPG Site: Do you still play shmups (shoot 'em ups)? 

Hitoshi Sakimoto: I used to play them in game centers. When I was in the first year of Japanese high school, I probably had several hundreds of (hours) playing these games and mastered several hundreds of these types of shooting games. I had a good eye at the time. I don't think I could master them nowadays with the same skill. One of the things with these kinds of action shooting games is that time seems to run differently if you play these games. It feels like you are part of the game, but time seems to run slower playing these games. 

If you completely immerse yourself in the game, time does flow differently and you will see details differently as well. There are two perspectives. For example, when I create something, I try to think of both of these. The first is players who completely immerse themselves in the game.. Time slows down and they see all the small details. But there will also be other people for whom time flows normally when they play. They will see the general aspect of it. I try to think of both ways when I create something.

RPG Site: What should we expect from Basiscape and yourself in 2026?

Hitoshi Sakimoto: We are planning additional concert projects next year, and I hope we’ll be able to announce them soon.

RPG Site: How do you like your coffee? Go into as much detail as possible.

Hitoshi Sakimoto: *laughs* Instant coffee. First, I add cold milk. I put the granules of the instant coffee into the milk, and stir it. If you stir instant coffee granules into cold milk, it does not completely dissolve, but I like drinking it like that. So there's the crunchiness of the instant coffee in it. Why the coffee question?

RPG Site: I usually end every interview with it and will probably try instant coffee in your style when I publish this.

Hitoshi Sakimoto: Yeah, I don't recommend it, but you can try it. *laughs* It is not good for your health anyway!