Final Fantasy XVI is not an open-world game -- and according to producer Naoki Yoshida, the scope of the game's story and the amount of time available to the team meant it never could have been one.
Speaking to Famitsu (as translated by VGC), Yoshida commented on the lack of an open world in the upcoming title, saying that the team's focus on other elements meant that they simply didn't have the time necessary to make an impactful open-world game. As he puts it, "If we had a development period of about 15 years, we may have had the opportunity of challenging ourselves with an open world."
According to Yoshida, one of the most important elements of Final Fantasy is a cinematic approach to storytelling. He says, "When I played the first Final Fantasy, I thought 'this is a movie-like gaming experience.'" As far as he's concerned, recreating a "movie-like gaming experience" should be FFXVI's focus, and "Delivering what we believe is the best story, in an experience that blends together games and movies, does not require an open world." That story, which will apparently play out on a massive scale and concern multiple warring nations, is simply not conducive to open-world design.
Cinematic storytelling isn't the only mainstay element of the Final Fantasy series that Yoshida wants to include in the upcoming title. According to him, "I want a story of a hero who saves the world, because this is Final Fantasy. I want a summon to go wild and destroy the map." Staying true to the series is important to Yoshida (and, seemingly, to the rest of the Final Fantasy XVI team).
Yoshida also apparently wants to get the game out the door in one piece, saying "I want to release this game as soon as possible. I cannot release this game in parts." Yoshida, who is also the director of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, has been releasing that game "in parts" since leading the successful A Realm Reborn relaunch in 2013. In 2021, a major expansion to FFXIV titled Endwalker released, bringing the game's longest story arc to a close. Yoshida clearly isn't interested in telling FFXVI's story in the same manner, nor does he want to imitate the Final Fantasy VII Remake series' three-part structure.
Final Fantasy XVI will release in Summer 2023 for PlayStation 5. The game was initially announced for Microsoft Windows, but recent marketing for the game does not mention a PC release and Square Enix has yet to offer a formal comment on whether or not the game will arrive on the platform.
Source: Famitsu via VGC