>>720097970
There's a noticeable phenomena of franchises that retained their original creators influence that have been able to sustain their success and even grow even more over time. Think Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, Souls, etc. Then on the other hand, you have the franchises that have been cut off from their original creators' guidance that have stumbled and fallen into irrelevancy and are merely basking in the shadow of past accomplishments, like Halo, Dead or Alive, and yes, even Final Fantasy.

The absence of the Gooch is obviously not everything, but it is a major factor.