Square began planning "Chrono Cross" immediately after the release of "Xenogears" in 1998 (which itself was originally conceived as a sequel to the SNES game). "Chrono Trigger"'s scenario director Masato Kato had brainstormed ideas for a sequel as early as 1996, following the release of "". Square's managers selected a team, appointed Hiromichi Tanaka producer, and asked Kato to direct and develop a new "Chrono" game in the spirit of "Radical Dreamers". Kato thought "Dreamers" was released in a "half-finished state", and wanted to continue the story of the character Kid. Kato and Tanaka decided to produce an indirect sequel. They acknowledged that Square would soon re-release "Chrono Trigger" as part of "Final Fantasy Chronicles", which would give players a chance to catch up on the story of "Trigger" before playing "Cross". Kato thought that using a different setting and cast for "Chrono Cross" would allow players unfamiliar with "Chrono Trigger" to play "Cross" without becoming confused. The "Chrono Cross" team decided against integrating heavy use of time travel into the game, as they thought it would be "rehashing and cranking up the volume of the last game". Masato Kato cited the belief, "there's no use in making something similar to before ", and noted, "we're not so weak nor cheap as to try to make something exactly the same as "Trigger" ... Accordingly, "Chrono Cross" is not "Chrono Trigger 2". It doesn't simply follow on from "Trigger", but is another, different "Chrono" that interlaces with "Trigger"." Kato and Tanaka further explained their intentions after the game's release: