Square Enix revealed that Final Fantasy XVI has been delayed, apologizing for the lack of updates on the game's development progress.The publisher issued a statement penned by Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida, who confirms that the upcoming role-playing game has suffered a substantial delay. "Complications stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have delayed the game's development by almost a half year." Yoshida goes on to explain that due to the decentralization of the team working on the latest Final Fantasy, many assets have been delivered later or not at all, causing the release to be pushed back.
While fans may be upset at the delay, the producer also confirmed that Square Enix has been working to remedy many of these production issues. "We have spent much of 2021 addressing this issue, and hope to see its impact to a minimum by the new year, allowing us to better focus on the tasks at hand: increasing graphic resource quality, refining combat mechanics, fleshing out individual battles, putting the finishing touches on cutscenes, and conducting overall graphical optimization," writes Yoshida.
Beyond the announcement of the delay, Yoshida ended the statement with a glimmer of hope. The producer notes that more Final Fantasy XVI news will be revealed in spring 2020 "as we seek to build excitement leading to the game's eventual release." What this means specifically is currently unknown but fans can likely expect a new gameplay trailer and more information on the game's story, characters, setting and unique mechanics.
"I deeply apologize to all those who have been looking forward to learning more about Final Fantasy XVI, and thank you for your continued patience while we focus our combined efforts on development," concluded Yoshida.
Announced in 2020, Final Fantasy XVI has already earned itself a substantial following from fans excited for the next major entry in the long-running, influential franchise. The upcoming action RPG is set in the fictional world of Valisthea, a land where tension is currently building between six factions spurred on by a plague known as the Blight. The first trailer for the game largely used in-game footage, revealing protagonist Clive Rosfield's combat style as he switches between melee-based attacks and magical abilities.
Final Fantasy XVIÂ will launch as a timed PlayStation 5 exclusive, eventually making its way to other consoles.
Source: Twitter