At a Final Fantasy 14 Fan Fest event, series producer Naoki Yoshida (known as Yoshi-P) publicly praised Final Fantasy 7 Remake co-director Naoki Hamaguchi on stage, saying he would like to see him take charge of a future numbered entry, "Final Fantasy 17". The remark, framed as the "highest praise" a developer can receive from players, highlights the strong fan reception to Hamaguchi's work on the FF7 Remake trilogy and reflects the camaraderie between Square Enix's Final Fantasy creative teams.

The comment came during a live panel or stage segment at the FF14 Fan Fest, an event usually focused on Final Fantasy 14 but which also gives space for cross-promotion and banter between different Final Fantasy development teams. Yoshi-P's endorsement singled out Hamaguchi's leadership on the acclaimed Remake series as evidence he could steer a mainline future title, drawing a warm reaction from the audience and reinforcing Hamaguchi's growing standing within the franchise.