‘Final Fantasy XVI’ Will ‘Likely’ Release In Late 2021 Or 2022, Reporter Predicts

In the wake of the Final Fantasy XVI trailer that was revealed during the PlayStation 5 Showcase earlier this month, reporter Joe Apsey of PlayStation Universe predicted that a late 2021 or 2022 release of the game is “likely.”

Apsey made the prediction following Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier’s appearance on the TripleClick podcast. During his appearance, the writer claimed that the new Final Fantasy project has been in development for at least four years and will be released sooner than expected.

As noted by GamingBolt, Schreier’s claim is still unconfirmed, and Square Enix’s official release window has not been provided.

“This doesn’t necessarily narrow down the release window (which hasn’t even been provided) but it does indicate that there won’t be a 10 year creation cycle like Final Fantasy 15,” the publication wrote.

The game’s director, Hiroshi Takai, who worked on Final Fantasy XIV and The Last Remnant, said that another big reveal is coming in 2021 but suggested that the project might not be released anytime soon, GamingBolt reported.

“Though we’re pouring our hearts and souls into this project each and every day, it may still be some time before we can get it into your hands.”

The Final Fantasy XVI trailer showed both battles and cutscenes that producer Naoki Yoshida claimed were running in real-time. He also said that the recent trailer is just “a fraction” of what the development team has achieved on the new game.

On Twitter, Schreier noted Yoshida’s role in saving Final Fantasy XIV, which was released to poor reception before being revamped and re-released as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, which has been praised for its still-developing storyline.

Regardless of when the forthcoming game hits Sony’s new console, its progress appears to be proceeding smoother than its predecessor, which was originally announced as Versus XIII before transitioning into the creation of the next numbered game in the series: Final Fantasy XV.

As The Inquisitr reported, Final Fantasy XV character designer Roberto Ferrari claimed that the infamously long creation cycle of the game was marred by a disorganized development process that included a constantly-shifting story and lack of focus.

The game also shifted directors from Tetsuya Nomura to Hajime Tabata. While Nomura was working on the game, he was reportedly working on 10 others, which is speculated to be one reason for the game’s stalled progress.

Final Fantasy XVI is set to first hit the PlayStation 5 as a timed-exclusive before it is released for the PC.