During the latest PlayStation 5 showcase last month in September, publisher Square Enix opened the virtual presentation by revealing the highly-anticipated and long-awaited Final Fantasy XVI. After following a prior leak on Twitter at the time, the game officially made its debut during the show with a release date set for sometime in 2021.
Given the time for the game to be settled in public sight with what has already been developed prior to that, it is presumed the latest installment in the Final Fantasy franchise would be hitting store shelves in the latter parts of next year. But, that might not be the case as of late as a new report has surfaced suggesting that the team is already finishing up on the core development for Final Fantasy XVI.
On a recruitment page posted by Square Enix, the firm tells that Final Fantasy XVI is already closing up on the base development for the next mainline entry. The statement originally uncovered from Games Talk is translated by Gematsu into English:
We have already completed basic development and scenario production, and are continuing to create large-scale resources and build boss battles while expanding our various development tools. Also, most of our staff are carrying out their work remotely.
Further deciphering the recruitment page reveals that Square Enix is in search for individuals eager to assist in crunching out action-packed cutscenes, character animations, and the unique settings for the full game, Gematsu transcribes. But while the foundation is essentially finished for Final Fantasy XVI, there is still plenty of work left to finish. But gathered that a good portion has been completed on Square Enix’s behalf, there is room for a possible mid 2021 release for the game, speculated respectively.
Looking ahead for Square Enix and the internal team closing in on more specific projects for Final Fantasy XVI, hopefully this leads to more exposure to the previously announced Project Athia. Last heard of the work-in-progress title was from Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda who ranked the game to be a open-world experience. You can read the full report by heading here.
What are you most excited about the progress made already for Final Fantasy XVI?
Final Fantasy XVI is listed to release sometime in 2021 for PlayStation 5 and Pc.
Source: Gematsu
