‘Final Fantasy XVI’ May Come Sooner Than Expected

One of the biggest surprises from the PS5 showcase was the reveal that not only is Final Fantasy XVI in development, but it would be arriving exclusively on Sony’s next-gen system. One question many fans have been asking is when it will be released. It obviously won’t come out by the end of the year, but we may not have to wait so long for the next installment in the long-running JRPG franchise.

According to gaming journalist Jason Schreier, we may not have to wait too long for Final Fantasy XVI to arrive on store shelves. On the Triple Click podcast, Schreier claims that “I’ve heard from people who are familiar with the game’s development that it’s actually been in development for at least four years in some capacity, so it’s coming sooner than people think.”

Much of what was displayed at the PS5 showcase was actual in-game footage, rather than CGI trailers we’ve become used to. Producer Naoki Yoshida said during the reveal that “the exclusive footage, comprised of both battles and cutscenes running in real-time, represents but a fraction of what our team has accomplished since the start of development on this, an all-new Final Fantasy game,” with the team now expanding to a full-fledge development crew.

The last mainline installment in the Final Fantasy franchise was 2015’s Final Fantasy XV.