With the next generation consoles just around the corner, fans of Square Enix are itching to know more about the fabledFinal Fantasy 16. Unfortunately, looking deeper into this theoretical title paints a not so pleasant picture which hints that the game may still be several years away. It’s worth noting that this is all purely conjecture, as Square Enix has made no official announcements about anew main entryFinal Fantasygame. Instead, looking at leaks, rumors, and prior history of the franchise can help put things into perspective so fans have at least some idea of what to expect in the future.
Though Square Enix has been very active with titles likeFinal Fantasy 7 RemakeandFinal Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered, there’s been no word about aFinal Fantasy 16.Rumors run rampant, but most of them seem to be proven wrong within months of surfacing, which does no good in lending to their credibility. With all the misinformation floating around now, many fans are simply confused about what the actual status of the game is. The truth is that no one knows, but a deep dive into the facts reveals it may be best to keep expectations lower for now.
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Final Fantasy Release Schedule
Taking a look atFinal Fantasy’s recent historyputs the status ofFinal Fantasy 16in perspective. It’s worth going as far back asFinal Fantasy 10, as that was the first main entry in the franchise to release on the PS2 back in 2001.Final Fantasy 11and14are sort of the black sheep of the family, as they were MMOs, butFinal Fantasy 12saw the second and final mainlineFinal Fantasygame of the PS2 generation. From there,Final Fantasy 13was the only PS3 entry (again excludingFF 14), andFinal Fantasy 15was the only PS4 game in the main series.
With that in mind, it seems that Square Enix is focusing on essentially one, potentially two, major titles for each console. Spin offs, remasters, and remakes will likely continue being made at their current pace, but Square Enix’s numerous development teams means that those things are unlikely to interfere with the production ofFinal Fantasy 16. All of this is to say that it is probably a safe bet to say that the next installment ofFinal Fantasywill release on PS5and possibly other next gen consoles as well, but that still leaves the question of when exactly.
Final Fantasy 16 Rumors
Consider that a PlayStation console’s lifespan is typically seven or more years, that Square Enix has made no promises to releaseFinal Fantasy 16towards the beginning of that cycle, and that it seems development hasn’t started on the game yet. These titles often take years to develop, withFinal Fantasy 15infamously being stuck in development for a decade, so unless Square Enix is already working on it under a different name, it will take some time before it’s released.
Recent rumors claimedFinal Fantasy 16would be announced this summer, but insteadSquare Enix announcedProject Athia. Though it is theoretically possible that this title isFinal Fantasy 16, it seems highly unlikely given the general feel of the trailer. There are also rumors of a new project being made by Naoki Yoshida, the one responsible for salvagingFinal Fantasy 14, but very little is known about this as well. The bottom line is that all of these rumors are completely unsubstantiated, and the release pattern of previous titles supports the possibility that fans may have to wait years for another main entry game. Hopefully that isn’t true andFinal Fantasy 16is announced soon, but it may be wise to temper expectations in the mean time.
