Final Fantasy 16 is the game that never feels like it's going to come out - fans of the series have been waiting for a long time and it looks like they're set to have to wait even longer. Naoki Yoshida, Producer for FF16, has made a statement on social media that's set to upset quite a few fans eager for more information. Here's what was said...
Don't expect to hear much for a little while...
Yoshida confirmed that any news on Final Fantasy 16 will be pushed back from 2021 until Spring 2022 at the earliest.
" Greetings everyone.
" When last we spoke, I promised I would have more information on FINAL FANTASY XVI sometime later in 2021. However, I regret to inform you that I will be unable to keep that promise as complications stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have delayed the game's development by almost half a year.
" As the latest addition to the FINAL FANTASY series being developed for the PlayStation 5, FINAL FANTASY XVI has amassed a sizeable team composed of talented creators from around the world. However, in an effort to offset the effects of COVID-19, we've had to decentralise that workforce by permitting staff to tackle their assignments from home. This has unfortunately hampered communication from the Tokyo office, which, in turn, has led to delays in - or in extreme cases, cancellations of - asset deliveries from our outsource partners.
" That said, we have spent much of 2021 addressing this issue, and hope to see its impact to a minimum by the new year, allowing us to better focus on the tasks at hand: increasing graphic resource quality, refining combat mechanics, fleshing out individual battles, putting the finishing touches on cutscenes, and conducting overall graphical optimisation. Our primary goal now is to be as hands on with the game as possible to see it fully polished.
" So that leaves us with the question, when can we expect the next round of information? 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.
" I deeply apologise to all those who have been looking forward to learning more about FINAL FANTASY XVI, and thank you for your continued patience while we focus our combined efforts on development."
Final Fantasy 16's rumoured release date
As you might imagine, we don't have a confirmed release date - or even a release window - for Final Fantasy 16. It was announced in September 2020 and the updates have been sporadic at best...
The fact that we're getting some information in the spring could suggest that another State of Play Presentation is on the way from PlayStation in the next couple of months - only time will tell, though.