Every New Final Fantasy Game And Update Currently In Development
Suffice it to say, Sony's State of Play event in April was met with mixed reception. There were no bombshells revealed on the scale that many might have hoped for, with new information regarding the new God of War game and Horizon Forbidden West conspicuously absent. There was one showstopper in attendance, however, in the form of Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Not only was the game's PS5 port announced, but also a new episode starring Yuffie and two brand new mobile games set in the world of Final Fantasy VII. Since then, several other Final Fantasy games and updates have been revealed at various events, leaving series fans with plenty to look forward to in the coming months and years.
Updated June 16, 2021, by Tom Bowen: E3 2021 may have been a little underwhelming in terms of big announcements and reveals, but there were at least a few things for Final Fantasy fans to get excited about. Two new Final Fantasy projects were announced at the expo, bringing the total number of games and updates that are currently in development up to seven. Several of them are due out before 2021 draws to a close, while the rest will hopefully be arriving at some point during 2022. As a result, it looks likely to be a busy twelve months or so for fans of the long-running JRPG franchise, especially with it celebrating its 25th anniversary next year.
Platform(s): PS4, PS5 & PC
Release Date: November 23, 2021
After a rough start to life, Final Fantasy XV has since improved dramatically and is now arguably one of the best MMORPGs around. A big part of this is down to its excellent expansions and players will be hoping that Endwalker can continue the longstanding tradition. If the recent beta test is anything to go by, all signs are looking pretty good in that regard.
Having been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Endwalker will finally go live towards the end of 2021. Among other things, the expansion will increase the level cap to 90 while also introducing two exciting new character classes. The story will see players confronting Zenos, who has now murdered his father the emperor and has plans to destroy the world.
Platform(s): iOS & Android
Release Date: 2021
Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier is a battle royal experience aimed at iOS and Android users. It’s expected to release before the end of 2021 and will take place thirty years before the events of Final Fantasy VII. A closed beta for the game has already taken place, offering fans a pretty good idea of what they can expect and, despite one or two issues, it's showing a lot of early promise.
Prior to this, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII had been the oldest game in the Final Fantasy VII timeline, taking place seven years before the events of the original game. Not much is known about the story of The First Soldier at the moment, assuming that it even has one, that is, but it seems safe to assume that there'll be plenty of Final Fantasy VII references included either way.
Platform(s): PC, iOS & Android
Release Date: Unknown
Though all of the eight and sixteen bit Final Fantasy games have already been released on mobile, many series fans were unhappy with some of the changes that Square Enix made to the art style in the 3D remakes. Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster seems like an attempt to appease those fans and was first announced during the Square Enix presentation at E3 2021. A release date wasn't given, although the developer did say that the game was "coming soon."
Rather than using 3D character models or newly designed sprites like the previous releases, the Pixel Remaster project will apparently be retaining the original pixel art style while also bumping up the resolution to modern day standards. As of the time of writing, it's only been confirmed for mobile and Windows devices, but many are still hoping that a console release will be announced somewhere further down the line.
Platform(s): PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series & PC
Release Date: 2022
Rumors of a souls-like Final Fantasy game had already been floating around for quite some time when The Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin was finally unveiled at E3 2021. Unfortunately, however, the trailer was widely ridiculed due to the main protagonist repeatedly announcing his desire to "kill chaos" and the corrupted demo that released shortly afterward further damaged the game's credibility.
Whether or not there'll be much of a demand for the game remains to be seen, although the early gameplay footage doesn't look too bad. Team Ninja also has a strong track record when it comes to delivering high quality souls-likes, so even if Final Fantasy fans don't bite, there's every chance that others will; if only to help Jack finally fulfill his dream of vanquishing Chaos.
Platform(s): iOS & Android
Release Date: 2022
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is another mobile spin-off, although it is not due out until 2022. The reveal trailer makes it look like a demake of Final Fantasy VII Remake, which is similar to the approach that Square Enix took with Final Fantasy XV. Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition was an episodic game with episodes released periodically and Ever Crisis looks like it will adopt a similar model.
It's still not clear which story elements will be included in the game, although given the vast amount of material available in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, there's certainly plenty for Square Enix to choose from. Between the original game, Advent Children, Before Crisis, Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus there could potentially be hundreds of episodes, so Ever Crisis may well be around for quite some time after it finally launches.
Platform(s): PS5
Release Date: Unknown
First revealed at Sony's PS5 Showcase event back in September 2020, Final Fantasy XVI is being developed exclusively for the PlayStation 5. There's still no word on when exactly the game will be released, although some are now speculating that it could be available before the end of 2022. It didn't feature in Square Enix's E3 2021 lineup, but could show up at Sony's next State of Play event.
Rather than being set in a futuristic world like some of the series' more recent entries, the game will instead take place in a medieval setting like many of the Final Fantasy games of yesteryear. Summons will also be making an appearance, with several of them shown in the game's reveal trailer and the main protagonist will be named Clive.
Platform(s): PlayStation
Release Date: Unknown
Though Square Enix has remained fairly tight-lipped when it comes to the future of Final Fantasy VII Remake, it could actually be a lot closer than some people might think. According to director Tetsuya Nomura, the team began working on the second part of the remake back in late 2019 and with the release of Intergrade now behind them, one suspects they're now completely focused on the next full game.
The Yuffie DLC seems to have been designed to act as a bridge between the first and second parts of the remake and also demonstrates the progress that has been made by the team since development switched to the PS5. With so much of the Final Fantasy VII story still left to tell, a lot of questions remain as to how exactly the narrative will be broken up and whether there'll be an overworld or not. Hopefully, fans won't have to wait too much longer to get their answers.
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