Final Fantasy 16 was introduced via a reveal trailer during the recently concluded PlayStation 5 Showcase live streaming event. The trailer shows that the new franchise installment might be a renewed form for the series as the featured high fantasy setting, scarcity of machines and the significance of crystals all echo themes from previous Final Fantasy games.
Another method that the game is indeed returning to form has frustrated some fans due to the fact that Final Fantasy 16 will be exclusive to the PlayStation 5, at least for a limited time.
It has been a while since a Final Fantasy title has been launched as a PlayStation exclusive as the 14th and 15th installments were both launched on multiple platforms. Because launching on multiple platforms appears to have become the new normal, a PlayStation exclusive Final Fantasy 16 will be painful for players who followed the story on the Xbox and PC.
Luckily, the reveal trailer seems to imply that this exclusivity will only be for short time. The sad thing is, it doesn’t say anything whether or not Final Fantasy 16 will be released on the current-gen consoles. Besides its time-limited PlayStation exclusivity, the only thing players know for now about the Final Fantasy 16’s future is that more in-depth details will be released next year.
Whether or these details included predicted launch dates for other consoles is yet to be seen, but things doesn’t look good for fans hoping to see Final Fantasy 16 on the PlayStation 4. Even if the game is launched sometime in the later months of 2021, this is still in the early life cycle of the PlayStation 5 which gives it ample time to stop sharing games with the Playstation 4.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment for fans that are hoping to get Final Fantasy on the PlayStation 4 is that the game’s trailer particularly showed that the game is a PlayStation 5 exclusive and not a general PlayStation exclusive. This doesn’t exactly mean that it would be impossible for the game to be released on the PlayStation 4 but it will be likely that the console will be treated obsolete by the time Final Fantasy 16 is launched.
A lot of Final Fantasy enthusiasts are hoping that the 16th installment would be a return to the previous game’s previous form. It looks like they finally got their wish since the trailer looks like it’s full of fantasy themes.
Sadly, this is not the only motif that has been restored to the Final Fantasy franchise though as the series has been known to be a PlayStation exclusive in the previous games. Final Fantasy enthusiasts are still unsure on what other consoles will receive the installment after the PlayStation 5 exclusivity expires but the possibility of the game releasing on older consoles such as the PlayStation 4 doesn’t look good.
Unless the developers reveal a contradictory announcement, it’s possibly a safe bet to say that Final Fantasy fans must avail the new PlayStation 5 if they really want to experience Final Fantasy 16 when it launches.
