Over 2021, little details would come out regarding Final Fantasy 16’s script or a major change in its voice actor approach, but nothing substantial ever came to light. Now that the year is almost over, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida apologizes for the lack of news, thanks fans for their patience, and explains why this happened.
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Understandably, this was all due to the ongoing pandemic. Final Fantasy 16 has a sizeable team working on it, but according to Yoshida, the pandemic impacted communication across its decentralized workforce. COVID-19 had led to communication issues with the Tokyo office or sometimes delays and/or cancellations of assets with outsourced partners. Much of 2021, Yoshida says, has been spent tackling these pipeline issues.
Now that its impact should be minimum, the developer is able to focus on the remaining tasks at hand: refining Final Fantasy 16’s combat mechanics, improving its graphic quality, fleshing out individual battles, applying finishing touches to cutscenes, and optimizing the overall experience. Right now, it appears the goal is fully polishing Final Fantasy 16.
Luckily, Yoshida does give fans a new timeline for when to expect more information. Final Fantasy 16’s next reveal is set for Spring 2022, as Square Enix intends to “build excitement leading up to the game’s eventual release.” Now, this doesn’t mean Final Fantasy 16 itself is releasing in 2022, but a Spring reveal could easily be followed by a holiday release. Even if this wasn’t the case, it does sound like the Spring reveal is just the beginning of a full news cycle for Final Fantasy 16.
Overall, it makes perfect sense. COVID-19’s impact on the gaming industry cannot be understated, nor is it any secret. The silver lining for the video game industry, if there is one considering the nature of this pandemic, is that 2022 seems like it could be absolutely stacked for video games. Final Fantasy 16 would be a welcome addition to that line-up, if it does release next year.
Final Fantasy 16 is currently in development for PS5.
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