Final Fantasy 16 Development is 'In Its Final Stages' According to Producer Naoki Yoshida

While complications arising during the pandemic have hampered development on Final Fantasy XVI, producer Naoki Yoshida has declared that work on the PlayStation 5 title is nearing its latter phases.

Strangely, the comments come from an interview conducted with Yoshida for a free in-store magazine available to pick up from Uniqlo clothing stories in Japan, where a special line of Final Fantasy apparel is set to roll out.

“Development of the latest title, Final Fantasy XVI, is in its final stages,” Yoshida comments in the chat, spotted by Twitter user @alverich_ff14 and translated by VGC. “Final Fantasy XVI aims to integrate the story and the gaming experience into a single player game. Unlike online, which portrays multiple players simultaneously, Final Fantasy XVI focuses on the individual. This makes the story more immersive. It’s a very dense story."

Since its announcement in 2020, it seems that development on Final Fantasy XVI has ticked along at a fair pace, with certain elements already said to be complete shortly after the initial reveal, and reports claiming that the game will release “sooner then people think”. Of course, that depends on how soon you think the game will be launching.

Finishing touches were apparently being applied to Final Fantasy XVI in October 2021, but in December, complications arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, meant staff having to setup work at home, putting the “next big reveal” on hold until spring 2022. Now, with Yoshida claiming that the game is entering its “final stages”, more information could be coming pretty soon.

Final Fantasy XVI is coming exclusively to PS5.