Naoki Yoshida, producer on Final Fantasy 16 alongside his work on the hugely successful MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, has given a Final Fantasy 16 update in an interview with Uniqlo Japan’s in-store magazine saying that FF16 is in the final stages of development – giving us hope for the Final Fantasy 16 release date. Via translation by aitaikimochi on Twitter, Yoshida hopes that players who have drifted away from Final Fantasy will find it to be a game that reinvigorates “the passion that you once had with the series.”
It’s been a while since we heard much about the development of Final Fantasy XVI, with the upcoming JRPG having its development delayed “by almost half a year” due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans were reassured that the game’s next big reveal would be due in spring 2022, so this brief nugget of information should come as welcome news as it suggests things are still on track for the time being.
Yoshida’s statement, part of an interview for a special 35th Anniversary edition of the Uniqlo magazine, also speaks to their general goals with the project. Yoshida emphasises that Final Fantasy XVI is designed to be a single-player experience which “focuses on the individual player and immerses you in the story.”
Yoshida is also eager to address players who might have fallen off the series, saying that “for those who have grown up and realised 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.”
Fans will be hopeful that this interview is the precursor to that much-anticipated spring news. It’s likely that we’ll be hearing more about Final Fantasy XVI soon enough, whether as part of the upcoming Summer Game Fest or through a standalone Square Enix event.
In the meantime, you could always play around with Final Fantasy XV’s mod tools, or check out the best JRPGs on PC for other things to keep you busy.