Final Fantasy 16 Gets Release Date and Development Update

Final Fantasy XVI has gotten an update regarding its release date and development. The Final Fantasy series is a staple of gaming, particularly for those who love RPGs. As time has gone on, the series has evolved in major ways, embracing things like real time combat as opposed to its old school turn based roots. Square Enix even went out of its way to remake Final Fantasy VII with modern graphics, a revised story, and the new real time combat to make it more accessible for new players. It went over exceptionally well and it seems that has only incentivized Square Enix to continue down that path and also take more risks with the series. Final Fantasy XVI is set to be the first M-rated game in the franchise and will invite a more mature tone as a result.

Many are eager to get their hands on the game and it sounds like we won't have to wait long to start learning more about when that might happen. In an interview with Famitsu (via ResetEra), Final Fantasy XVI director Hiroshi Takai revealed that the game is about 95% complete. The team is working on polishing the game and fixing bugs at the moment, but it sounds like the title is playable start to finish as it was noted they're playing the game day to day. Producer Naoki Yoshida also noted that the team plans to update fans on the release date by the end of 2022, so we should have a firm release date very soon. It has already been confirmed that the game will launch by summer 2023, so we already have a general time frame.

Given the game is so close to being completed, there may be a chance we also get a demo, though that's pure speculation. Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy VII Remake both had demos prior to their release, so there may be room for that to happen again. It also sounds likely that the game will show up at The Game Awards in December.

Final Fantasy XVI will release for PS5 in 2023. Are you excited for the game? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.