Final Fantasy XVI fans expecting to catch a glimpse of the game at the forthcoming Tokyo Game Show will be disappointed to discover that it will not be present. FF16 was revealed at the PlayStation 5 demonstration event, and it was subsequently confirmed that it would be a limited-time PS5 exclusive. Unfortunately, there has been very little news regarding the game since then.
FF16 is a return to the series’ high-fantasy roots, and it’s being developed by the same Square Enix team that worked on FF14. The gameplay is modeled on the action-RPG style of games like Final Fantasy 15 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, rather than the turn-based manner of previous games.
The story is set in a universe with six countries centered on a gigantic mountain-sized crystal. Little is known about the plot, except that it stars Clive Rosfield as a guy who embarks on a journey following an incident in which Ifrit goes wild.
FF16 was noticeably absent at E3 2021, especially after Square Enix presented a press conference jam-packed with announcements. The 2021 Tokyo Game Show, which will take place from September 30 to October 3, is the year’s next big event.
Yoko Taro questioned FF16 developer Naoki Yoshida about the possibility of seeing the game at TGS 2021 during a fourteen-hour-long broadcast of FF14. The game will not be shown during the event, according to Yoshida. On Twitter, aitaikimochi translated Yoshida’s reaction into English.
What’s noteworthy is that Yoshida stated that he didn’t want to share material in stages because he wanted to display it when it was nearly complete. This indicates that FF16 isn’t close enough to completion to be shown again in public.
Yoko Taro & Saitou joking with Yoshi-P about Final Fantasy 16 probably not being shown at Tokyo Game Show 2021 is epic troll level lol.
Yoshi-P says he wants FF16 to be available not too long after the next big announcement.
Here's the video with English subs by me. #FF16 pic.twitter.com/WnkAGNGmKf
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) July 10, 2021
Although Yoshida stated that Square Enix wanted the footage to be broadcast, the same business showed the Final Fantasy 7 Remake five years before its release. It’ll be fascinating to watch how this conflict of interests influences the future of Final Fantasy 16.
It’s a pity that FF16 won’t be at TGS 2021, especially after a year of quiet, but the epidemic disrupted the production of a number of video games. The world’s Final Fantasy fans will now have to wait and see which game will be released first: FF16 or FF7 Remake 2.
It might be either of them at this point. Fans have seen more footage of FF16 in action, but FF7 Remake 2 has the first game’s template to work from, so the race is on to be the next big entry in the series unless Strange of Paradise beats them to the punch.
