One of the biggest announcements to come out of Sony’s PlayStation 5 reveal event earlier this month (besides the release and price of the console) was the teaser trailer for Final Fantasy XVI.
Many were shocked (and likely annoyed if they’re an Xbox fan) to learn that Final Fantasy XVI would have an exclusivity period with the PlayStation 5. While that announcement was huge, there was no release date to go along with it.
But, based on what we saw in the trailer, it seems pretty far along into development.
It was reported by Jason Schreier of Bloomberg that this game has been in development for “at least” four years at this point and will be releasing sometime in the near future.
“I’ve heard from people who know the game, have worked on the game, or are familiar with the game’s development that it’s actually been in development for at least four years in some capacity. So, it’s coming sooner than people think. Fifteen, I think, really set a terrible precedent. It was announced as Versus 13 in 2006 and then took 10 years to make, so I think they want to shy away from that. It makes sense. Fifteen came out in 2016, so it’s already been four years since the last Final Fantasy game.”
Naoki Yoshia, the producer of Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest X noted last week that Square Enix‘s goal was to “provide players an experience unmatched in terms of story and gameplay.” He then stated that the next big reveal for Final Fantasy XVI would come sometime in 2021.
Hiroshi Takai, the director of Final Fantasy XVI, was also the director of Final Fantasy XIV.
“From the establishment of an all new development environment, to learning the ins-and-outs of the PS5, the team and I have taken on countless challenges during our journey to bring you the sixteenth chapter in the storied Final Fantasy franchise,” Takai said. “And though we’re pouring our hearts and souls into this project each and every day, it may still be some time before we can get it into your hands. However, I promise it will be worth the wait.”
It has been reported by not confirmed that the exclusivity period for Final Fantasy XVI will work a lot like the deal Square and Sony struck for Final Fantasy VII Remake. That game will remain a PlayStation 4 exclusive for a period of one year.
Industry insiders have reported that Final Fantasy XVI will be exclusive to PS5 for a period of six months, after which it can debut on PC systems. But it would be console exclusive for one year, meaning the Xbox Series X can’t have it until it has been out on the PlayStation 5 for one whole year.