Final Fantasy 16 will, it seems, be exclusive to PS5 for a period of six months. While we already knew the upcoming RPG would only be available on PlayStation 5 for a limited period of time, we didn't know exactly what that period was. Given that FFXVI isn't actually a PlayStation Studios title, this one could actually make its way to the Xbox ecosystem at some point as well.
Development on Final Fantasy 16 is progressing at a brisk pace, it seems. Last month, we got a look at some new story details for the game, showing off its setting and the unlucky lot of its main characters. Now, a new tweet by PlayStation has shown a sizzle reel of upcoming PS5 titles, one of which is Final Fantasy 16.
Accompanying the footage of Final Fantasy 16 is a disclaimer that reads "Final Fantasy XVI anticipated Summer 2023. PS5 exclusive for six months." Presumably, after this point, Final Fantasy XVI will make its way to PC, although since PlayStation Studios isn't involved in its creation, we might see this one appear on Xbox Series X|S as well. Don't anticipate an Xbox One release anytime soon, though; FF16 isn't coming to PS4.
If this is correct (and assuming FF16 doesn't get delayed, of course), we can expect Final Fantasy 16 to land on other systems sometime around winter 2023. This will, of course, entirely depend on the finalized release date for the game, which we don't know just yet. Looks like we're going to have to wait to get some more info before we can make more informed predictions.
Final Fantasy 16 is far from the sixteenth Final Fantasy game, but it is the sixteenth main installment in the series. It takes place in the world of Valisthea, which is populated with great and terrible Eikons (think Final Fantasy classic summon monsters like Ifrit and Odin). The main character, Clive, is drawn into tragedy and intrigue after a series of events involving the Eikon Ifrit, and he must travel through Valisthea in order to seek revenge.
According to an interview between several FF16 staffers and Dengeki Online, the game is now nearing its final stages of completion, and a demo will be available closer to release. That means we could get our hands on a playable chunk of FF16 potentially as early as spring next year.
Hopefully, we'll get a concrete release date for Final Fantasy 16 soon. In the meantime, the game is slated to launch in summer 2023 for PS5. No other platforms have been confirmed yet, so we don't know exactly where FF16 will end up once it's non-exclusive.
It could just end up on PC, like many other PlayStation exclusives (Death Stranding, God of War, Days Gone) have, or it could come to other consoles as well. Could a Nintendo Switch cloud port or special Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition-style version be on the cards? The latter seems far more likely than the former, but we'll have to wait and see.
