Will Final Fantasy 16 Launch With The PS5 And Xbox Series X?
The Final Fantasy franchise, as beloved as it is, has had some rocky moments in its history with certain hit or miss titles and development issues, but fans have stayed loyal nevertheless. The franchise that effectively defined the RPG genre is still going strong, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake on the way soon. In spite of this promising remake, or perhaps because of it, many fans are looking to the future, wondering what is in store for the next main entry game, Final Fantasy 16. And there is actually a lot of information and rumors regarding Final Fantasy 16, and the probability that it is closer than most fans initially thought.
For those unaware, although the Final Fantasy franchise has had what may seem like an excessive 15 entries already, there are even more side entries, sequels, and spin offs beyond that. Because of this, main entry Final Fantasy games tend to be spaced pretty far apart. That said, it is possible that the next main entry, Final Fantasy 16, is already in the works and may even launch alongside next generation consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X. Although only time will tell whether this is true, there are plenty of rumors and data from the series' history which is worth examining.
Final Fantasy has had a somewhat strange history with its last five main entries. Final Fantasy 10 marked the first ever Final Fantasy game on PlayStation 2, and was a big deal for the franchise because of this. Final Fantasy 11, though, was a massively multiplayer online game, which while generally considered to be good in that genre, isn't what a lot of fans wanted from a main entry Final Fantasy game. Final Fantasy 13 accompanied the launch of the PlayStation 3, which was also met with mixed reception.
The two most recent entries of the franchise have even more controversial histories, though. Final Fantasy 14, yet another MMO, had what is perhaps the rockiest launch of any Final Fantasy game to date, while Final Fantasy 15 is notorious for the decade Final Fantasy 15 spent in development hell and for being a product that many deem wasn't worth the wait. While none of these games were necessarily bad games, they for the most part fell short of capturing fans attention in the way they expect from the titanic franchise.
Final Fantasy 14's story is of particular importance because it relates directly to the rumors of the potential Final Fantasy 16. When Final Fantasy 14 released, it was riddled with bugs, performance issues, bad user interfaces, and was missing a lot of features which are considered core to an MMO experience. Eventually, Naoki Yoshida took over as director of Final Fantasy 14, and under his leadership, the game did a complete 180. Effectively, Final Fantasy 14 1.0 ended with the bad guys winning, and causing a calamity which, five in game years later, would be a central part of the story of Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn.
The new, essentially rebooted version of the game was completely different from its original, messy incarnation, and is hailed as both an incredible MMO and Final Fantasy game, and Yoshida's ability to not only turn around a game which was doomed to fail from the start but also integrate its failure into the story amazed fans. It is for this reason that many fans were beyond excited to hear that Yoshida was working on a new project which is said to be the next large scale project Square Enix is undertaking and will be available on next-generation consoles.
If this mystery title is in fact Final Fantasy 16, then fans have a lot to be excited for. For starters, the division working on the highly anticipated Final Fantasy 7 Remake is completely separate from the division working on this title, meaning that the two should hardly, if at all, interfere with each other in terms of development time. Additionally, the fact that Yoshida's project will be a next generation title give clout to the theory that Final Fantasy 16 will accompany the arrival of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Given that Final Fantasy 10, 13, and 15 all launched with the PS2, PS3, and PS4 respectively, it seems more than likely that Final Fantasy 16 will arrive with or sometime after the PS5. This doesn't necessarily mean it will be a PS5 launch title by any means, but that the game could be much closer than any imagined. Alongside some concept art for Yoshida's new project (pictured above), Yoshida claimed that the project is already well underway in development, so the likelihood of a reveal or at the very least some more information seems even more high.
To guess at what kind of game Final Fantasy 16 will be, it is best to look at what has worked and what hasn't worked in the past. Yoshida himself has commented that he believes that Final Fantasy 14 still has a lot of life left in it, so this is likely not a replacement or sequel for that. He also said he believes that the next single-player Final Fantasy game should return to its less technologically advanced roots, staying true to the fantasy aspect of its name. Given his renown for creating a compelling story out of the rubble of the original Final Fantasy 14, it is likely that the game will feature a great story which is accessible to those who are new to the franchise while not shirking fundamental aspects of an RPG like some feel Final Fantasy 15 did.
Most of this is simply speculation, so readers should not bank too heavily on any of this info, but it is grounded in not just rumors, but the franchise's history and the comments of Yoshida, the developer, himself. If Yoshida truly is developing Final Fantasy 16 , fans can only hope that he lives up to his reputation and returns glory to the franchise which some argue has lost its touch to an extent. A return to more fantastical roots and a smooth blending of turn based and action style combat would do wonders for both long-time and new fans of the series, and a release alongside or shortly after the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X seems more than likely at this point.
Final Fantasy 16 has not yet been announced.
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