Are the old-school fans here? Most Final Fantasy fans in the U.S. are over 35

Data from analytics firm Circana has confirmed recent comments by Final Fantasy producer Naoki Yoshida about the series attracting little interest from younger audiences. According to Circana executive director Mat Piscatella, 62% of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth players in the U.S. are over 35, and if you include everyone aged 30 and up, that share rises to 77%.

Yoshida explained that the aging Final Fantasy audience is largely the result of the long gaps between entries in the series. According to him, new Final Fantasy games come out too rarely, so younger players simply do not have enough time to build the same connection with the franchise that older generations have.

There is some logic to that. Final Fantasy XV was released in 2016, while Final Fantasy XVI did not arrive until 2023 — nearly seven years later. On top of that, almost three years have already passed since the release of FFXVI, and the next numbered entry in the series has still not been announced. At the same time, it is important to remember that Circana’s statistics apply specifically to the U.S. and only to Final Fantasy, so the situation could be drastically different in other regions or with other franchises. Piscatella also did not compare the series with other long-running franchises, so a similar pattern may exist elsewhere as well.

It is worth noting that, according to Circana data, Fortnite, Call of Duty, GTA 5, Roblox, and Minecraft once again ranked among the most popular PS5 games in the U.S. in 2025. An ESA study found that the most desired gaming gift for American children during the holidays was in-game currency, not consoles or games themselves.

That said, the franchise isn’t standing still. Square Enix has been teasing a project related to Final Fantasy XIII for months — with official accounts frequently posting about Lightning, especially on the 13th of each month, fueling rumors of a trilogy remaster. Meanwhile, Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the final part of the Final Fantasy VII remake project, has confirmed in an interview with Bloomberg that the game is nearly complete: Wutai and Rocket Town will be included, the Highwind will play a major gameplay role, and the story may even reach outer space.

Do you prefer games for older players or for younger audiences?