If you're waiting for Final Fantasy XVI, we've got some bad news. The development of the game has been delayed by almost six months, and you guessed it, due to COVID-19. Because of this, players must wait until the spring of 2022 to get more updates.
This was revealed by none other than Producer Naoki Yoshida. In a statement posted on the game's Twitter account, Yoshida revealed that considering Final Fantasy XVI is the latest addition to the franchise and being developed for PlayStation 5, there was a need to form a rather sizable team. He continued that because of COVID-19, they had to decentralize the workforce to offset the effects of the pandemic.
Yoshida shared that this meant allowing the staff to work from home. This has resulted in communication troubles from the Tokyo office. The outcomes were delays and cancellations of asset deliveries from outsource partners.
According to Yoshida, a lot of time was spent to address this issue, and hopefully, it gets better in 2022. The effort allowed the team to focus on these tasks:
- Increasing graphic resource quality
- Refining combat mechanics
- Fleshing out individual battles
- Putting the finishing touches on cutscenes
- Conducting overall graphical optimization
The team wants the game to be fully polished before being released, so be patient with them.
Final Fantasy XVI is the 16th game in the franchise and is being produced by Yoshida with Hiroshi Takai directing. It's set in Valisthea, a world where people live comfortably due to the mountains of crystal known as Mothercrystals. This world is divided into six factions - the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, the Kingdom of Waloed, the Dhalmekian Republic, the Iron Kingdom, and the Crystalline Dominion. A central part of the story is the Eikons, summoned monsters controlled by or manifesting through humans called Dominants.
The main cast includes:
- Clive Rosfield
- The firstborn child of the Archduke of Rosaria who's on a quest for revenge after tragic events involving the dark Eikon Ifrit.
- Joshua Rosfield
- Clive's younger brother and is the Dominant of the Eikon Phoenix and heir apparent to Rosaria.
- Jill Warrick
- Hailing from the fallen Northern Territories and is the foster sister of Clive and Joshua.
What did you think of this announcement?
