Quote Originally Posted by fat_moogle View Post
Nomura has never directed a Final Fantasy before, whereas Tabata has directed Crisis Core and Type-0. Maybe Nomura was making XV too much like Kingdom Hearts? There would have needed to be some differentiation between the two, or else queue the "IS KHIII A RESKINNED FFXV?" articles would start popping up after KHIII's launch in X (XX?) amount of years. The internet can be very predictable sometimes lol.
Well it really shouldn't matter if he never directed an FF, I don't necessarily feel like Ito or Kitase ever thought it was a big deal from interviews I've read, and Nomura worked pretty closely with both of them on VI - VIII. Technically Nomura wanted to do Versus XIII as a non-numbered entry because it would allow him to get away from any feeling of the expectations that comes with a numbered FF title, but I would argue that was back when the FF moniker carried more weight with fans and the industry.

He was dropped from the project because he's been sitting on two hotly anticipated IPs and since he already finished the leg work for one of them, the execs felt it was time he moved onto the other project with no distractions.