Square Enix have announced Final Fantasy XVI during the PlayStation 5 showcase.
The latest in their long-running flagship RPG franchise is coming exclusively to PlayStation 5. This new entry appears to be an action RPG, much like Final Fantasy XV. A release date was not announced at this time.
Details on the game’s story are hinted at, though it appears some characters (Dominants) can summon the classic Final Fantasy summons (here called Icons) such as Shiva and Ifrit to devastating effect.
While a kingdom attempts to take the Mother Crystal from others (to prevent the spread of a blight), their own young lord seems to unleash the power of Phoenix, razing the land. Now his guardian swears to kill him.
You can find the announcement trailers below:
English Trailer
Japanese Trailer
Here’s the first screenshots:
As stated in the press release (via email), the game’s producer is Naoki Yoshida (director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn), while the game’s director is Hiroshi Takai (The Last Remnant, Romancing SaGa , Romancing SaGa 3, as well as as director and supervisory roles in Final Fantasy XIV).
Both shared their thoughts on working on the iconic franchise.
Comment from Producer Naoki Yoshida
“FINAL FANTASY XVI producer (that’s right, just producer) Naoki Yoshida here. How did you enjoy the trailer? The exclusive footage, comprised of both battles and cutscenes running in real-time, represents but a fraction of what our team has accomplished since the start of development on this, an all-new FINAL FANTASY game. In that span, the team’s size has grown from a handful of core members to a full-fledged unit that continues to polish and build upon what they have created so far, all to provide players an experience unmatched in terms of story and gameplay.
Our next big information reveal is scheduled for 2021, so in the meantime, I expect everyone to have fun speculating, as we have a lot in store—not only for FINAL FANTASY XVI, but for FINAL FANTASY XIV, too. Needless to say, I’ll be working hard on both!”
Comment from Director Hiroshi Takai
“When FINAL FANTASY I was released, I was just another player─a young student with big dreams. By the time FINAL FANTASY V was in the works, I had earned myself a seat at the developers’ table… albeit at the very end. From there, I moved “online” leaving my mark on both FINAL FANTASY XI and XIV.
And now…XVI.
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. 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!”
UPDATE: Based on the press release (via email) and the official trailer, the game is likely not coming to Windows PC.
The initial trailer for the Demon’s Souls remake was deleted, due to erroneously stating the game was coming to PC and other consoles. As such, a similar error has likely occurred here. While the trailer during the presentation stated the game was coming to PC, the official trailer only features the PlayStation 5 logo at the end.
We have updated the original story below to reflect this.
