According to Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida, the game’s development is in its final stage and he feels the story offers a lot of depth.
Naoki Yoshida is the leading man for Final Fantasy XIV, which is an online MMO that has received multiple expansions so far. He is also working on the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI but as a producer, and had some comments to share recently in a Japanese magazine.
“Right now the development of FF16 is in its final stage. As a single player game, we are aiming to integrate story and gameplay even further, ” Yoshida-san is quoted as saying in the magazine (via).
“Different to a game where many people play online at the same time, the extent to which the game has an individual focus changes how immersed you are in the story. I think it’s become a story with quite a lot of depth. To people who have grown up, entered working society and think ‘reality isn’t as easy-going as a video game’, and at some point ended up separating from Final Fantasy, we want to want them to remember their passion from back then. We’re making the game with that intention.”
The game hasn’t been seen in action since it was first shown during a PlayStation Games Showcase back in 2019. It was initially supposed to get an announcement for PC and PS5 but that was later changed to a PS5 exclusive. It was reportedly targeting a release in 2022 but due to the impact of COVID-19, it could have faced some delay.
The game is being directed by Hiroshi Takai, who previously worked on The Last Remnant. It is an action RPG with a fast-paced combat system and appears to run on a custom game engine based on the first gameplay footage shown by Square Enix.
