Unfortunately, it’s now been revealed that Final Fantasy 16 will not be a focus at the Tokyo Game Show. Square Enix will have a presence there, but it’s focusing on other upcoming titles instead.
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Square Enix released a list of the games it will be featuring at its booth during TGS, and fans were surprised to see that Final Fantasy 16 was missing from the list. That’s not to say that the series is completely forgotten, however. Square Enix will still be showcasing Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis, and Final Fantasy 14, its ongoing MMORPG. A number of other titles, like multiple Dragon Quest entries, will also be making an appearance.
It’s not entirely clear why Final Fantasy 16 is missing TGS. The game is currently slated to release sometime in mid-2023, which would likely mean launching before next year’s TGS. Given Square Enix’s legendary status as a developer of JRPGs, some are concerned that the absence may mean that the game is being delayed out of its original release window. However, there are more gaming conferences and shows slated for this year, like The Game Awards, which do have a large international audience watching, so further information about the game may still arrive this year.
Unless Square Enix offers an official bit of reasoning for the missing game, fans will have to wait and see what happens. Times have changed in gaming announcements since Final Fantasy 15’s release, however. Digital reveals held by companies like Sony and Nintendo have become much more normalized, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic making it difficult or impossible to hold in-person events. With the JRPG series having a huge fanbase all over the world, perhaps Square Enix is holding onto any new reveals for Final Fantasy 16 for an independent digital stream, instead.
So far, Final Fantasy 16’s development cycle hasn’t been anywhere near as rough as Final Fantasy 15, which saw myriads of delays spanning a decade and even rebranding before its official launch. Even so, Final Fantasy fans may be experiencing a dose of deja vu, with potential concerns that major delays could strike the series again. While Final Fantasy 16 hopefuls will have to wait and see, the series as a whole will likely have a fair amount to show at TGS, based on the number of Final Fantasy 7 spin-offs and Final Fantasy 14 being present.
Final Fantasy 16 is set to release in summer of 2023 for PS5.
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