TheFinal Fantasyfranchise, as beloved as it is, has had some rocky moments in its history with certain hit or miss titles and development issues, but fans have stayed loyal nevertheless. The franchise that effectively defined the RPG genre is still going strong, withFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeon the way soon. In spite of this promising remake, or perhaps because of it, many fans are looking to the future, wondering what is in store for the next main entry game,Final Fantasy 16. And there is actually a lot of information and rumors regardingFinal Fantasy 16, and the probability that it is closer than most fans initially thought.
For those unaware, although theFinal Fantasyfranchise has had what may seem like an excessive 15 entries already, there are even more side entries, sequels, and spin offs beyond that. Because of this, main entryFinal Fantasygames tend to be spaced pretty far apart. That said, it is possible that the next main entry,Final Fantasy 16, is already in the works and may even launch alongside next generation consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X. Although only time will tell whether this is true, there are plenty of rumors and data from the series' history which is worth examining.
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Final Fantasy’s Recent History
Final Fantasyhas had a somewhat strange history with its last five main entries.Final Fantasy10marked thefirst everFinal Fantasygame on PlayStation 2, and was a big deal for the franchise because of this.Final Fantasy 11, though, was a massively multiplayer online game, which while generally considered to be good in that genre, isn’t what a lot of fans wanted from a main entryFinal Fantasygame.Final Fantasy 13accompanied the launch of the PlayStation 3, which was also met with mixed reception.
The two most recent entries of the franchise have even more controversial histories, though.Final Fantasy 14, yet another MMO, had what is perhaps the rockiest launch of anyFinal Fantasygame to date, whileFinal Fantasy 15is notorious for thedecadeFinal Fantasy 15spent in development helland for being a product that many deem wasn’t worth the wait. While none of these games were necessarily bad games, they for the most part fell short of capturing fans attention in the way they expect from the titanic franchise.
Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 14’sstory is of particular importance because it relates directly to the rumors of the potentialFinal Fantasy 16. WhenFinal Fantasy 14released, it was riddled with bugs, performance issues, bad user interfaces, and was missing a lot of features which are considered core to an MMO experience. Eventually, Naoki Yoshida took over as director ofFinal Fantasy 14, and under his leadership, the game did a complete 180. Effectively,Final Fantasy 141.0ended with the bad guys winning, and causing a calamity which, five in game years later, would be a central part of the story ofFinal Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn.
The new, essentially rebooted version of the game was completely different from its original, messy incarnation, and is hailed as both an incredible MMO andFinal Fantasygame, and Yoshida’s ability to not only turn around a game which was doomed to fail from the start but also integrate its failure into the story amazed fans. It is for this reason that many fans were beyond excited to hear that Yoshida was working on a new project which is said to be the next large scale projectSquare Enixis undertaking and will be available on next-generation consoles.
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Final Fantasy 16
If this mystery title is in factFinal Fantasy 16, then fans have a lot to be excited for. For starters, the division working on the highly anticipatedFinal Fantasy 7Remakeis completely separate from the division working on this title, meaning that the two should hardly, if at all, interfere with each other in terms of development time. Additionally, the fact that Yoshida’s project will be a next generation title give clout to the theory thatFinal Fantasy 16will accompany the arrival of thePS5 and Xbox Series X.
Given thatFinal Fantasy 10, 13, and 15all launched with the PS2, PS3, and PS4 respectively, it seems more than likely thatFinal Fantasy 16will arrive with or sometime after the PS5. This doesn’t necessarily mean it will be aPS5 launch titleby any means, but that the game could be much closer than any imagined. Alongside some concept art for Yoshida’s new project (pictured above), Yoshida claimed that the project is already well underway in development, so the likelihood of a reveal or at the very least some more information seems even more high.
What Will FF16 Be Like?
To guess at what kind of gameFinal Fantasy 16will be, it is best to look at what has worked and what hasn’t worked in the past. Yoshida himself has commented that he believes thatFinal Fantasy 14still has a lot of life left in it, so this is likely not a replacement or sequel for that. He also said he believes that the next single-playerFinal Fantasygame should return to its less technologically advanced roots, staying true to the fantasy aspect of its name. Given his renown for creating a compelling story out of the rubble of the originalFinal Fantasy 14, it is likely that the game will feature a great story which is accessible to those who are new to the franchise while notshirking fundamental aspects of an RPG like some feelFinal Fantasy 15did.
Most of this is simply speculation, so readers should not bank too heavily on any of this info, but it is grounded in not just rumors, but the franchise’s history and the comments of Yoshida, the developer, himself. IfYoshida truly is developingFinal Fantasy 16, fans can only hope that he lives up to his reputation and returns glory to the franchise which some argue has lost its touch to an extent. A return to more fantastical roots and a smooth blending of turn based and action style combat would do wonders for both long-time and new fans of the series, and a release alongside or shortly after the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X seems more than likely at this point.
