Final Fantasy 16 Development Update Shared by Producer

A new Final Fantasy XVI development update has been shared by producer Naoki Yoshida that indicates the latest and greatest video game in the long-running Final Fantasy series is "in the final stages of development" now. This comes from a translated comment Yoshida made in Uniqlo's UT magazine in support of the launch of the company's Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary UT Collection.

"We're in the final stages of development for the new numbered game in the series, Final Fantasy XVI," said Yoshida in the magazine according to a translation by Audrey, founder and owner of anime and gaming commerce site Aitai☆Kuji. "We aim to deliver a comprehensive game full of story and gameplay. Unlike an online game that involves many players at the same time, FF16 offers a different experience where it focuses on the individual player and immerses you in the story. I think it's a very fleshed out story. For those who have grown up and realized that reality isn't kind to you and have drifted away from Final Fantasy, we hope that FF16 will be a game that can bring back anew the passion that you once had with the series."

Yoshida Naoki says that FF16 is already in the final stages of development, and he says the story is a very well fleshed out one.

His comment was released in the Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary Uniqlo magazine. Here’s the full translation! pic.twitter.com/X23AFqOXfJ

— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) April 29, 2022

Square Enix has been relatively quiet about Final Fantasy XVI since initially announcing it at the big PlayStation 5 showcase in September 2020. An update from the end of last year had promised the next big reveal would be this spring, and while it is unlikely that the comment from Yoshida in the pamphlet constitutes that, nothing else has been revealed or announced despite speculation to the contrary.

"Well, I am happy to announce the current plan is to conduct our next big reveal in spring of 2022 as we seek to build excitement leading up to the game's eventual release," the statement from Yoshida late last year indicated. There have been no further official updates since that time, however.

In general, Final Fantasy XVI is a single-player, action role-playing game in development for the PlayStation 5. No other platforms have been announced as of yet. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the upcoming installment in the long-running franchise right here.

What do you think about the update on Final Fantasy XVI? Are you excited to learn more about the upcoming video game in the near future? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop in order to talk about all things gaming!