Final Fantasy XVI launches Summer 2023 for the PlayStation 5
Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XVI is releasing in Summer 2023 for the PlayStation 5. The news was unveiled at Sony Interactive Entertainment's State of Play livestream.
The brand-new trailer for Final Fantasy XVI showcased a lot of story elements and a first-look at direct gameplay footage. Once again, the bits of story presented heavily focus on the Eikons in the FFXVI mythos, which are the Summon creatures. FF16 seems to have a lot of CGI cutscenes prepared to present its cinematic storyline.
All the combat footage highlighted that players control Clive taking on numerous foes by himself. Several UI elements include his level, HP, consumable items, and several actions he could execute. To the left of his HP bar, Clive seems like he can switch between the powers of Eikons in the heat of battle.
There were several segmented bars that would appear under the HP bars at certain points that resembled Final Fantasy XIV's Limit Break gauges. An enigmatic Perks feature makes an appearance briefly on top of the HP bar as well. Boss encounters seem to be a more initimate affair, as Clive faces off against deadlier enemies in a 1-on-1 faceoff.
The Eikons make a significant appearance in the latter half of the new FF16 trailer. At certain points, players seem to be able to control the Eikons directly to face off against the other Summons. Several of them were listed near the end of the footage - Phoenix, Titan, Garuda, Ramuh, Shiva, Odin, Bahamut, and Ifrit. We have previously detailed some of the characters that were first introduced previously.
In a new PlayStation Blog post, FF16 Producer Naoki Yoshida and FF16 Director Hiroshi Takai introduce the re-emergence of the next mainline Final Fantasy title. If you aren't familiar with Takai, we have given him a thorough breakdown before he became one of the masterminds behind the next big Final Fantasy entry.
They introduce some of the key staff working on Final Fantasy 16.
- Producer: Naoki Yoshida
- Main Director: Hiroshi Takai (Director of The Last Remnant)
- Creative Director & Original Screenplay: Kazutoyo Maehiro (Main Scenario Writer of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Heavensward)
- Localization Director: Michael-Christopher Koji Fox (Localization Director of Final Fantasy XIV)
- Art Director: Hiroshi Minagawa (Director and Visual Designer of Final Fantasy XII)
- Combat Director: Ryota Suzuki (Combat Designer of Devil May Cry 5 and Dragon's Dogma)
- Character Design: Kazuya Takahashi (Art Design for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Heavensward)
- Composer: Masayoshi Soken (Composer for Final Fantasy XIV)
Producer Naoki Yoshida made the following remarks in introducing the new trailer.
Hello everyone!
I know how long you have been waiting for this, so it gives me great pleasure to announce the release of our latest trailer “Dominance.”
In previous interviews and updates, we didn’t delve too deep into details about the game system, but hopefully with this preview, you all were able to get a better picture of what actual gameplay will entail—namely, high-octane battles featuring our protagonist Clive Rosfield wielding a full arsenal of attacks unique to the game’s many Eikons (summons). Not to mention epic clashes between the Eikons themselves that put you right in the action.
The team, under direction of Hiroshi Takai, has entered the final leg of development and is focusing on polish as they continue their march toward master up and launch. I, for one, would like to personally thank them for all the hard work they’ve put into the project.
With the power of the PlayStation 5 behind us, we’re looking to take you on a seamless, story-driven, white-knuckle ride that will rival even the most thrilling roller-coaster. So buckle up, the wait is almost over!
Director Hiroshi Takai had this to say on the new developments shared about Final Fantasy XVI.
First, allow me to apologize for making everyone wait so long for new information on Final Fantasy XVI…but the good news is it’s finally here!
In our latest trailer, we’ve introduced several new Eikons, as well as provided a more detailed peek at our action-packed battle system and the freedom it gives players. As for development progress, I’m happy to announce that the game is fully playable from start to finish; though, from optimization to brush-up, there is still a mountain of challenges to tackle as we head into our final push.
Until then, please stay tuned. We’ll do our best to not keep you waiting too long before our next update!
Check out the brand-new Final Fantasy XVI trailers down below, available in both English and Japanese. We also have an official description providing context of the events depicted in the trailers, along with new FF16 screenshots down below.
English
Japanese
Introduction of the Dominants of Titan and Garuda
We here on the Final Fantasy XVI team hope you enjoyed the trailer and we wanted to give our fans a little bit more information about the Dominants of Titan and Garuda that you just saw.
Permanent Economic Adviser Hugo Kupka’s meteoric rise to prominence was sudden, if not unexpected. Once a nameless foot soldier in the Republican Army, his awakening as Dominant of the Eikon Titan thrust him to the forefront of Dhalmekian politics. It was here he used his newfound position as the most powerful man in the republic to exert influence over both the nation’s armies and its policy making—amassing a personal fortune in the process. Yet while it is said that a man who has everything wants for nothing, Benedikta Harman will teach him money and power are far from all the world has to offer.
Having emerged from the storm of youth coldhearted and ruthless, Benedikta Harman—Dominant of the Eikon Garuda, Warden of the Wind—turned her talent for swordplay and subterfuge into a command of Waloed’s elite intelligencers. It is on a mission to find the elusive second Eikon of Fire that she crosses paths with a like-minded Clive and is forced to face her past.
