Legendary Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu says he probably won't compose the score for another complete game; instead, he prefers to spend his time on compositions or his band Uematsu Nobuo conTIKI. Amongst his long list of notable achievements, in addition to being the primary composer of the Final Fantasy series, he single-handedly composed the soundtracks of the first nine games.
Uematsu was interviewed by Zeit Online (thanks VGC) ahead of a performance of Merregnon: Heart of Ice, his new orchestral show, where the composer, aged 64, said he thinks his days of taking on a project as massive as a game's score are over. Uematsu said: "As far as Final Fantasy is concerned, I'm still involved by writing the main themes for the games. But I don't think I'll compose music for a whole game again."
He says that the workload is just too punishing, that "you would have to give it full throttle for two or three years”. As time passes, Uematsu reflects: "I don't think I have the physical and mental strength to do it anymore. I think I'd rather use the time I have left to work on other projects that I love. Such as compositions like Merregnon or my band Uematsu Nobuo conTIKI."
If Uematsu's prediction is proven true, then IOS RPG Fantasian could be Uematsu's last soundtrack. The composer was going through some health issues even then, back in 2021, and so the 60-piece orchestrated soundtrack represents a monumental achievement.