During Wednesday’s PlayStation 5 Showcase stream, Square Enix gave Final Fantasy fans a first peek at the next mainline entry in the role-playing game franchise: Final Fantasy 16.
Showing off Final Fantasy elements we know and love, like chocobos, Shiva, dragoons, and discussions of “mother crystals,” the gameplay appeared to be focused around controlling a single character, rather than a party of them.
The beasts that Final Fantasy fans know as summons, primals, or eikons are also seen throughout the trailer, wreaking tons of havoc in the medieval-ish setting. We see Shiva, Ifrit, Phoenix, and what looks like Titan.
Final Fantasy 16 will be a PlayStation console exclusive, with a Windows PC release “also available,” according to the end of the trailer shown during the PS5 Showcase. While Square Enix did not announce a release date for the next-gen Final Fantasy, it’s been years since the most recent entry. Final Fantasy 15 was released in November 2016, so it makes sense that a tease for the next installment of the beloved JRPG franchise is finally rearing its head.
The new game is being produced by Naoki Yoshida, the producer mastermind behind Final Fantasy 14, and it’s being developed by Hiroshi Takai, who also worked on the Final Fantasy MMORPG. Earlier this year, Yoshida downplayed rumors that he was directing of Final Fantasy 16, calling speculation that he was the game’s director “fake news.” However, he never said he wasn’t producing it.
Members of the Final Fantasy 15 team formed a new studio within Square Enix called Luminous Productions. That team is working on Project Athia, which was announced in June.
Update: Square Enix told Polygon that it could not confirm whether Final Fantasy 16 is coming to PC.
The trailer broadcast during the PS5 Showcase featured a card at the end saying the game would “also [be] available on PC.” However, the separately uploaded trailer on the Final Fantasy YouTube channel does not include this slide. The title and description of the video only mention the PS5, not PC; the same is true of the announcement post on Square Enix’s website.
Asked for clarification about Final Fantasy 16’s release platforms, a Square Enix representative told Polygon, “We have no further information on if FINAL FANTASY XVI will be released on platforms other than the PS5.” The spokesperson did not comment on the note in the PS5 Showcase trailer about a PC version.
