Final Fantasy 16 is on its way, and fans are eager to play the next main entry of the iconic series. It seems like it might be fairly close to FF16’s release date, but we haven’t gotten a ton of info about it yet. However, we do have a basic list of characters, and we can take a rudimentary guess on what the plot will be.
Final Fantasy 16 release date rumors
Square Enix hasn’t made an official announcement yet about when the game is supposed to launch. However, producer Naoki Yoshida stated in April 2022 that Final Fantasy 16 was in the final stretch of development. That might seem like a vague statement coming from most people, but Yoshida has proven to be a reliable manager. His oversight on Final Fantasy 14 turned into from a flop into one of Square Enix’s biggest earners, so if he says development is nearing an end, we can trust it.
So, when will the game come out? We can assume it’ll drop in the next year or so if development is almost complete, but we’re going to go out on a limb and make an educated guess. This year is the 35th anniversary of Final Fantasy, and we’re going to go out on a limb and say that polishing and QA will be wrapped before 2023. We think there’s a good chance Square Enix might release Final Fantasy 16 precisely 35 years to the day after the original on December 18, 2022.
What’s the story?
Final Fantasy 16 takes place in a continent called Valisthea. Six factions control the planet:
- Crystalline Dominion
- Dhalmekian Republic
- Grand Duchy of Rosaria
- Holy Empire of Sanbreque
- Iron Kingdom
- Kingdom of Waloed
The setting is closer to what we saw in the first five Final Fantasy games. The level of technology seems to be equivalent to the medieval era, and crystals are making a return as a plot device.
From what we’ve seen so far, the inhabitants of Valisthea live comfortably thanks to the six giant Mothercrystals, and each faction has built its nation around one of them. They generate aether which humans can use to conjure magick. However, in the Awakening trailer, the characters mention something called “the blight,” which may be affecting the crystals. Our guess is that the crystals are losing their power, which leads to war between at least some countries, which we’ll see in the game.
Summons will also once again play a major role in the story. In Final Fantasy 16, these are called Eikons, and those who can summon and wield them are Dominants. Apparently, these summons aren’t always voluntary, though, as we see Ifrit going berserk in one of the trailers. Some nations treat their Dominants as royalty or important advisors. Others enslave or even kill them at birth.
The main playable character (that we know of) is Clive Rosfield. Clive is the firstborn son of the Archduke of Rosaria, who was expected to become the Dominant of the Eikon Phoenix. In the Duchy of Rosaria, the Dominant of Phoenix becomes the heir, so Clive’s life is turned upside down when his sensitive bookworm little brother Joshua inherits Phoenix. At some point, a tragedy occurs involving the dark Eikon Ifrit, and Clive sets out on a journey for revenge.
That’s all we know so far. However, a major reveal should be coming soon, according to Yoshida.
Final Fantasy 16 leaks so far
Surprisingly, there have been no significant leaks concerning Final Fantasy 16. Square Enix keeps relatively tight security around their Japanese productions. We rarely hear anything before they’re ready to let us know. There’s been a fair amount of unreliable claims about what the game will be about and when it’ll release, but nothing close to concrete.
Right now, the game is slated to be a PS5 exclusive, but the trailers shown so far have run on PC. So, the one big leak we might have gotten is by the devs themselves, indicating that a PC build might be in the works.
